A recent study links our Western diet, with ultra-processed foods, and the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Details and advice from Martin Ducret.
franceinfo: In particular, this study looks at the appearance of colorectal cancer and the consumption of these foods with low nutritional value but rich in colorings, emulsifiers, sweeteners and preservatives?
Martin Ducret: Yes, a study published this week found a link between the Western diet – dominated by ultra-processed foods – and chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, which promotes tumor growth.
To arrive at their results, researchers analyzed more than 150 samples of digestive tumors, and discovered an excess of bad fats leading to inflammation, but a shortage of healthy fats which reduce it and help healing.
However, ultra-processed foods – which can represent more than half of daily calorie intake – are full of these bad fats which directly unbalance the immune system and cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.
These results are in line with numerous other studies on the influence of ultra-processed foods on the appearance of chronic diseases?
Absolutely, excessive consumption of these foods increases the risk of cardiovascular, mental, and even inflammatory bowel diseases. “In addition, recent studies have shown a sharp increase in the incidence of cancer among those under 50, in contrast to a stabilization or even a decrease for older populations,” Dr Denis Smith, digestive oncologist at Bordeaux University Hospital, explained to me.
“And the main culprits of this increase are poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle and even obesity.” As a result, the childhood consumption of ultra-processed foods which invaded our supermarkets in the 1980s can partly explain the increase in these cancers among young people.
What are your tips for limiting the consumption of these foods that are harmful to our health?
You should favor the consumption of raw or minimally processed foods, while cooking fresh, good quality products yourself. Simply homemade! But we don’t always have time to prepare delicious meals.
So when you go shopping, look at the product label with the list of ingredients. Avoid anything that contains additives, preservatives, colorings and other emulsifiers, which are found for example in nuggets, cold cuts with nitrites, instant noodles, in many biscuits and prepared meals.
You can also help yourself with the Nutriscore on the packaging. This score is not strictly speaking an indicator of the degree of food processing, but it provides information on the overall nutritional quality of the product. Which is already a good selection criterion.
