"Excessive alcohol consumption is the second most common cause of cancer, followed only by smoking. Ethanol contained in any alcohol is a dangerous carcinogen. Frequent consumption of strong alcoholic beverages threatens the development of cancer of the oral cavity, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum and mammary glands, "the expert warned.
According to him, there is no exact threshold between the permissible and harmful amount of alcohol - the risks are always individual, so the use of alcohol should be minimized.
In addition, the doctor recalled that the World Health Organization recognizes trans fats as the most dangerous component of food.
"They are contained in margarine and products prepared on its basis: convenience foods, fast food, confectionery. Trans fats can also form when meat, fish, and even vegetables are deep-roasted. In addition to cancer, they also provoke diabetes and cardiovascular disease. With maximum vigilance, you should treat chips, crackers and other snacks. In addition to excess trans fats, they are saturated with artificial flavors and colors. As a snack, it is better to choose cookies, straws or dried fruit, "the specialist advised.
Also, excessive consumption of sweets can provoke obesity and type II diabetes. These factors in themselves increase the risk of developing cancer, the interlocutor of RT explained.
"High blood sugar levels affect metabolic processes and cell division, which threatens the development of pathologies in tissues. In other words, malignant cells feed on glucose. Such cells do not perform their primary functions, they only multiply. To do this, they need energy, which they take from glucose, that is, from sugar, "he said.
The expert added that vegetables can also be dangerous if they were grown using nitrogen fertilizers.
"There is a very long chain of reactions here. First, nitrates enter the fruit along with fertilizers. Root vegetables - potatoes and carrots - are especially susceptible to this. Some of the nitrates inside the vegetables become nitrites. Nitrites, under the influence of various enzymes in the digestive tract, are converted into nitrosamines - highly toxic compounds with a high level of carcinogenicity. Based on the above, we can conclude that almost any products can fall into the category of dangerous, "the specialist said.
However, do not panic: they become carcinogenic mainly with excessive consumption, the doctor explained.
"One eaten steak, a glass of wine or a pack of chips will not provoke cancer, but if you use them daily, the risk of developing cancer will be real," the source concluded.
Earlier, Sergey Kadin, candidate of medical sciences, cardiologist, therapist at the Euroonco clinic in St. Petersburg, told RT what factors affect life expectancy.