01:19 PM
Wednesday 07 September 2022
Books – Syed Metwally
Do you like biscuits, sweets, soft drinks and sausage? Now you have to be careful, following a new American study found that these foods increase men’s risk of developing bowel cancer.
According to the British Daily Mail, ultra-processed foods, which also include instant soup, noodles and sweet or salty packaged snacks, were associated with higher rates of bowel cancer in men.
US experts, from Tufts University in Boston, examined data from three long-term health studies involving more than 46,000 men and regarding 160,000 women. Participants were followed for 24 to 28 years. During this time, 3,216 cases of bowel cancer were identified.
The researchers assessed the diet through food questionnaires, which were completed every four years by the participants.
The study found that men who ate the most ultra-processed foods were 29 percent more likely to develop bowel cancer than those who ate the least – but this was not found among women.
However, when the researchers, whose study was published in the British Medical Journal, looked at subgroups of ultra-processed foods, they found that women who ate the highest amounts of ready-made meals had a 17 percent lower risk of developing bowel cancer compared to those in the lowest consumption group.
