Cancer research lab worker warns against four food and drinks she'd never consume

Cancer is a cruel disease in that it can seemingly strike any person at any time, but there are still some precautions we all need to take.

The ever-growing number of bowel cancer cases certainly proves that we should all be very careful about what we're putting into our bodies, which is why it is so important to listen to genuine nutritionists rather than the blokes on TikTok who promote the carnivore diet.

Although it hasn't been proven that any single food can 'cause cancer', there are certainly ones which have been linked to the deadly disease, with things such as alcohol, red meats and processed foods all featuring on that list.

Now, a cancer research lab worker has taken to social media to explain some of the foods that she would personally avoid, due to the impact she's seen them to have on our cells.

Social media influencer Sasha Bondarenko wrote: "I worked in cancer research labs where I studied what happens inside cancer cells at the DNA level. So when people ask me what foods “cause cancer,” I try to avoid that wording. Cancer is complex, and no single product guarantees disease. But there are things I personally avoid because we have enough data to understand how they can affect cells over time.

"First, processed meat. Bacon, hot dogs, sausages, deli meats, anything smoked, cured, salted, or chemically preserved. Processed meat is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category used for substances with strong evidence of cancer risk. Every 50 grams of processed meat eaten daily is linked to about an 18% higher risk of colorectal cancer."

Ultra-processed foods have been categorised as worse than smoking by some doctors and their prevalence in every day supermarkets certainly makes them a silent killer of sorts, even in a world where we're more concerned than ever about what exactly we're putting into our bodies.

Sasha added: "Second, alcohol. I don’t care if it’s expensive red wine, champagne, or cheap liquor. Ethanol is still ethanol. Alcohol is linked to at least seven types of cancer, including breast, liver, colorectal, mouth, throat, esophageal, and laryngeal cancer. The resveratrol in red wine is not a magic shield. The amount is too small to cancel out the risk."

Alcohol is certainly an unsurprising link, especially given the studies that have gone into it before, with more and more young people in particular exploring the sober lifestyle.

Sasha concluded: "Third, heavily burnt or charred food, especially meat. When meat is cooked at very high temperatures, grilled until black, or pan-fried aggressively, it can form compounds that damage DNA. One burnt steak will not ruin your health, but regularly exposing your cells to that for years is not something I would normalise."

"Fourth, overcooked starchy foods like very dark fries, chips, burnt toast, and heavily browned potatoes. High-temperature cooking can create acrylamide, a chemical that has shown cancer-causing effects in animal studies. Human data is not as direct, but I still prefer not to make it a daily habit."

So, as long as you aren't burning your food, drinking lots of alcohol and avoiding the processed meats, your body should be in pretty good shape. That won't be enough to protect you from cancer of course, but it might just give you a good chance of beating it if you are given a diagnosis.