Regularly eating ‘inflammatory’ food such as ham, bacon and white packaged bread could increase the risk of dying from colon cancer by more than a third, researchers have said.
The number of young people being diagnosed with colon cancer has risen significantly by 80% worldwide.
Now a new study has revealed that inflammatory foods could be an “overlooked” cause.
Researchers have said that people with colon cancer who ate a greater amount of inflammatory food than 80% of the volunteers had a 36% higher risk of dying from their cancer compared to those who consumed very little.
An inflammatory diet comprises food such as sausages, sugary drinks, offal, and refined carbohydrates like white pasta and bread.
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Anti-inflammatory foods include dark yellow vegetables including sweet potatoes and carrots, along with coffee and wine and even pizza, due to the cooked tomatoes in the sauce containing an antioxidant.
The findings of the study were recently presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago.
The team said patients may be recommended to follow an anti-inflammatory diet in the near future but there is currently not enough evidence.
Dr Catherine Elliott, director of research for Cancer Research UK, said: “This study adds to interesting emerging evidence about the role of inflammation in the progression of colon cancer.
“We need more high-quality research like this to help us uncover more about how our diet influences cancer outcomes.
“When it comes to food and cancer risk, our overall diet is far more important than any single food or ingredient.
“A healthy, balanced diet includes eating lots of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, and healthy sources of protein like beans and chicken.
“Cutting down on processed and red meats, and foods high in fat, sugar and salt also helps.”
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The study involved 1,625 people with colon cancer that had spread to nearby lymph glands only.
Participants were asked to complete a survey about how regularly they ate food from 18 different groups, nine being pro-inflammatory and nine being anti-inflammatory.
Three years later, researchers found that people in the top 20% of most inflammatory diets faced a 36% greater risk of dying from their cancer than those who ate the least amount of inflammatory food.
Patients who ate the least amount of inflammatory food and also reported the highest levels of exercise had a 63% lower risk of death.
Other research presented at ASCO revealed that people with colon cancer who maintained an anti-inflammatory diet reduced their risk of the disease spreading or recurring by 38%.
ASCO president Julie Gralow said the results suggest “we need to be essentially prescribing healthy diet and exercise. The combination of the two are synergistic.”
