Fat, salt and meat in cancer risk

Overview

Fat and bowel cancer, salt and stomach cancer, IARC's classification of processed and red meat, cooking at high temperatures and UK meat advice.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   How might a diet high in fat raise cancer risk indirectly?

   Model answer

   Fat provides 9 kcal per gram, so a high-fat diet is energy dense and makes weight gain easier. Excess body fat is a well-established cause of several cancers.

2. 2

   Why has a high-fat diet been linked to bowel cancer?

   Model answer

   A high-fat diet increases the release of bile acids into the gut. Gut bacteria convert bile acids into secondary bile acids, which may damage the lining of the bowel.

3. 3

   How strong is the evidence that total fat intake directly causes breast cancer?

   Model answer

   The evidence that total fat directly causes breast cancer is limited and inconsistent. Body fatness after the menopause shows a much stronger link.

4. 4

   Which cancer is most closely linked to a high salt intake?

   Model answer

   Stomach cancer is most closely linked to a high salt intake. Salt-preserved foods, such as salted fish and pickled vegetables, carry the strongest evidence.

5. 5

   Explain how salt may increase the risk of stomach cancer.

   Model answer

   A high salt concentration damages the protective mucus and lining of the stomach. The damaged lining is more easily infected by Helicobacter pylori and more exposed to carcinogens.

6. 6

   Justify the limit of 6 g of salt a day for adults from a cancer point of view.

   Model answer

   A lower salt intake reduces damage to the stomach lining. The same limit also lowers blood pressure, so one change protects against both stomach cancer and heart disease.

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