Around half of all the food we eat is ultra-processed. It indicates that it is heavily manufactured, and produced with industrial methods. It often has a long shelf life and is produced to be cheap. Researchers at the University of Bergen now intend to prove that this food carries with it a greater risk of developing cancer. – Increased intake of ultra-processed food significantly increases the risk of cancer. This applies both in general, and especially within cancers such as breast cancer, bowel cancer and pancreatic cancer. That’s according to Simon Dankel, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at UiB. He has led the collective study, which has used surveys and data from all over the world. – The find gives a warning that we must take seriously. Simon Dankel, professor at the Faculty of Medicine, UiB Photo: Gerd Johanne Braadland / news – Hard to avoid Outside a Kiwi shop in the center of Bergen, Iver Kristiansen doesn’t have to look long in the bag to find food that deserves the label. A rule of thumb is that if there are more than five ingredients that are not used in a normal kitchen, the food is ultra-processed. news challenges the student to read out the ingredients on an energy drink. – Terrine flavors, acidity regulator, sodium citrates, panax… – Do you know what these things actually are? – No, no idea! Kristensen says he knows that many people think there are health risks with ultra-processed food, and that he tries to be aware of this. Iver Kristiansen has been shopping for exams, and believes he cannot avoid ultra-processed food. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news – But it is difficult to avoid all such food as it is now. It’s not possible to just drink water now during exam time. Willing to do more research The Cancer Study at the Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory at UiB covers eleven international investigations. It is the first study that brings together all research on cancer and ultra-processed food and sees the results in context. The study has recently been published in the international journal Clinical Nutrition. The average in the studies shows a 10-20 percent increased cancer risk due to this type of food. Certain studies show up to a 50 percent increased risk for some types of cancer. Many types of food fell under the label ultra-processed. Ready-made pizza, biscuits, soft drinks, sweets, soups, various breakfast mixes and much more. The study says nothing about whether some types of food are more harmful than others. – We cannot point to individual food products. We do not know what in the ultra-processed food is carcinogenic. Dankel says they hope to get funding to do more research into what in this type of food can be harmful. Want a bigger diet debate Professor Dankel believes that large companies have been allowed to decide too much about our diet. – In the last fifty years, there has been a big change in how we produce our food. This has happened without the consequences having been properly mapped. He points out that ultra-processed food is linked to health challenges such as obesity, diabetes and dementia. – This must become a larger part of the dietary debate. In Norway, it is possible to produce more fresh food. The best is food made from local ingredients. Now he hopes the new study can lead to a debate about the way our food is produced. Professor Simon Dankel hopes to be able to do more research on ultra-processed food. Photo: Gerd Johanne Braadland / news
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– Must become a larger part of the diet debate – news Vestland
