Stop celebrating kids' birthday parties with Pizza.
Eat more yoghurt and fewer ultra-processed foods.
!!
Yoghurt is a nutritious food, providing protein, calcium, and probiotic bacteria that support gut health.
Go for Srikhand and curd !!
The increase in the incidence of cancer is real and global, rising from approximately 94,700 cases in 1990 to 225,736 in 2019. A study across Europe found that for those aged 20-29, incidence rose 7.9% per year between 2004 and 2016, with the rates increasing by 4.9% in those aged 30–39, and 1.6% in the 40-49 group in roughly the same period.
Examples of ultra-processed foods can include:
ham and sausages
mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals, instant soups
crisps and biscuits
ice cream and fruit-flavoured yogurts
carbonated drinks and some alcoholic drinks including whisky, gin, and rum.
What is of deep concern is that everyday items such as breakfast cereals and mass-produced or packaged bread are also considered ultra-processed foods.
Not only is colon cancer increasing in every age cohort under 50, the growth rate is highest in the youngest group. Modelling suggests that early-onset colorectal cancer could double every 15 years in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.
And the evidence that ultra-processed food is implicated is growing: a major study published in the British Medical Journal looked at three large US cohorts to examine the association of ultra-processed foods with the risk of colorectal cancer.
One of these cohorts involved more than 46,000 men, tracked over 24 to 28 years. Compared with the group that consumed ultra-processed food the least, the risk of those who consumed the most of developing colorectal cancer – even accounting for nutrition and weight – was 29% higher.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrial food products made from food extracts, isolates, and additives rather than whole ingredients, characterized by extensive processing, high levels of added sugar, fat, and salt, and often containing unpronounceable ingredients like stabilizers, emulsifiers, and flavorings. Examples include sugary sodas, packaged snacks, commercial baked goods, ready meals, and some breakfast cereals.
Research links high UPF consumption to increased risks of obesity and other diet-related illnesses.
Ultra-processed foods typically have more than 1 ingredient that you never or rarely find in a kitchen. They also tend to include many additives and ingredients that are not typically used in home cooking, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours. These foods generally have a long shelf life.
Given the high salt, sugar, and saturated fat content of most of these foods, cutting down does seem sensible.
Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked to disruptions in insulin signalling, chronic low-grade inflammation and alterations in the gut microbiome, all of which are mechanisms implicated in cancer development. What we eat affects how our cells grow, how our immune systems function and how our gut bacteria – which help regulate inflammation and immunity – behave.
Emulsifiers, additives and artificial sweeteners commonly found in ultra-processed foods have been shown in animal studies to promote intestinal inflammation and tumour growth. Meanwhile, the lack of fibre and protective phytochemicals (health-promoting compounds found in plants) in these foods can alter the gut microbiome needed for the body to function optimally.
It took decades but we now accept that tobacco causes lung cancer, and that alcohol raises the risk of breast and liver cancer.
The next decade may see the inclusion of ultra-processed foods as a key risk factor for colorectal cancer, particularly in young adults.
Yogurt and curd are not exactly the same; yogurt is fermented with specific, standardized bacterial cultures like Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.
Curd (Dahi) is a broader term for a home-fermented dairy product that uses a mixed, less defined set of bacteria or even acidic substances like lemon juice.
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