PIZZA AND BURGERS INCREASE LUNG CANCER RISK – Consumers of Burgers 41% more likely to develop lung cancer

High levels of ultra-processed foods can significantly increase the risk of lung cancer, academics have warned.

An international team of researchers tracked the health and food habits of more than 100,000 US adults, with an average age of 63. After an average of 12 years, the team identified 1,706 cases of lung cancer.

Food survey questionnaires revealed the consumption of UPFs, including ice cream, fried foods, bread, cakes, pastries, salty snacks, breakfast cereals, instant noodles and soups, margarine, confectionery, soft drinks, sweetened fruit drinks, hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza.

The research team, led by academics in China, found that average UPF consumption was nearly three servings a day, but ranged from 0.5 to six. The types of food that featured the most were lunch meat and soft drinks.

People who consumed the highest amounts of UPFs were 41 per cent more likely to develop lung cancer compared with those who consumed the least amount, academics wrote in the journal Thorax. They found an increased risk for both non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.