Don’t eat or drink anything
The UK’s popular press frequently reports on links between certain foods, drinks, or substances and serious illnesses like cancer and heart disease. These reports often reflect a mix of scientific findings, sensational headlines, and evolving public health guidance.
Linked to Cancer
Often reported in The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror, Metro, etc.:
1. Processed Meats
Bacon, sausages, ham. Linked to colorectal cancer (via nitrates/nitrites and high-temperature cooking). Backed by: WHO classification as Group 1 carcinogen
2. Red Meat
Beef, lamb, pork. Regular consumption linked to bowel cancer. But some coverage acknowledges it’s a good source of iron and B12
3. Burnt or Charred Foods
Burnt toast, grilled meats. Acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are potential carcinogens
4. Alcohol
Wine, beer, spirits. Increases risk of several cancers (especially breast, liver, bowel). Reported with “One glass a day can increase cancer risk” type headlines
5. Sugar and Sweetened Drinks
Often linked indirectly via obesity, which is a cancer risk factor. Soft drinks repeatedly accused of being “a hidden cancer threat”
6. Artificial Sweeteners
Aspartame. Controversial studies linking it to cancer, though regulators have deemed it safe. Press angle “Diet Coke could be as dangerous as smoking” type headlines
7. Microwave/Plastic Use
Microwaving food in plastic containers. Concerns over BPA and phthalates leaching, potentially endocrine-disrupting. Often overblown or inconclusive, but still widely reported
Linked to Heart Disease
Frequently highlighted with dramatic statistics and “public health crisis” framing:
1. Trans Fats. Packaged pastries, fast food. Strongly linked to increased LDL cholesterol and heart disease. Press stories such as “Hidden killer in your biscuits”
2. Saturated Fats
Butter, cheese, cream, fatty cuts of meat. Longstanding connection with raised cholesterol. Recent headlines question whether they’re really as bad as once thought
3. Salt
Associated with high blood pressure and stroke risk. Frequent headlines: “UK eating double recommended salt intake”
4. Energy Drinks
Red Bull, Monster. Can spike heart rate and blood pressure; concerns over young users. Reported as: “Toxic cocktails” or “Heart attack in a can.”
5. Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)
Ready meals, packaged snacks. Associated with obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Some papers now call UPFs the “next tobacco.”
6. Smoking & Vaping
Smoking is an obvious risk factor for both heart disease and cancer. Vaping has mixed messaging citing harm reduction vs. fears over unknown long-term effects
7. Coffee
Some stories link excessive coffee to raised blood pressure; others cite protective effects. Coffee has had both “danger” and “superfood” headlines.
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The lesson to be taken from the above is that food is not medicine. It is food, for sustenance and enjoyment. The fear of cancer and heart disease lurking in your favourite food and drink probably generates more harmful and damaging stress than the health risks associated with them. A little of what you fancy does you good. Go French on your enjoyment of food and drink. It makes you happy and is good for you.
Madsen Pirie