Cancer ‘more common with diets rich in highly-processed carbohydrates’

People who eat more highly-processed carbohydrates are at an elevated risk of developing cancer, according to a new study from the US.

Led by New York University, the research indicated that the regular consumption of sugary beverages was associated with a threefold increase in a person's risk of prostate cancer, in addition to the established link between sugary drinks, obesity and diabetes.

Moreover, a higher intake of processed lunch foods such as pizza, burgers and meat sandwiches was shown to double the risk of prostate cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in men.

Conversely, healthy carbohydrate-containing foods such as legumes, non-starchy vegetables, fruits and whole grains were collectively associated with a 67 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer.

Study lead author Nour Makarem, a PhD student at New York University, said: "Our study showed very strong associations between certain foods and cancer, in particular with prostate cancer. There had not been very many studies on food sources and prostate cancer previously."

Though the findings do not prove a causal link, they align with the findings of previous studies on the subject.