Alcohol and bacon linked to stomach cancer

DISTURBING news has surfaced yet again from scientists and researchers across the globe. We are constantly being told what we should and shouldn’t eat. It sometimes seems like an impossible task to keep on top of all the research when wheeling our trolleys through the aisles.

In Spain, where an assortment of meats, hams and alcohol are popular to both Spaniards and Brits, this new research makes for some harrowing reading. The new report has found, for the first time, that drinking alcohol, eating processed meats like bacon and being overweight have all been linked to stomach cancer. 

The new findings show that having three or more alcoholic beverages a day increases the risk of developing cancer, similarly to having two rashers of bacon a day, which has the same effect on the body. 

The World Cancer Research Fund found strong evidence that not only typical foods normally associated with cancer could be dangerous. Preserved foods, such as pickled vegetables or salted fish, could in fact make stomach cancer more likely. 

The evidence showed that about 80% of 7,000 British people diagnosed with stomach cancer every year had only discovered they had the disease after it had spread throughout the body. 

The disease is very aggressive, and leads to 5000 deaths a year in the UK. Doctors generally feel that a patient is doing very well if they survive for longer than two years after being diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer.  

The deadly disease is more common in older male adults, being twice as likely to hit men than women. 

The researchers have now concluded precisely that they believe 280 fewer cases of stomach cancer would be recorded if people cut down on alcohol, and 710 cases fewer if people maintained a healthy weight. 

The main edible culprits linked to cancer when eaten regularly have been identified as processed meats, such as: hot dogs, salami, bacon, ham and pastrami. 

“These findings will hopefully help people better understand what increases their risk of cancer, so that they can make informed decisions about their lifestyle choices,” said Dr Rachel Thompson, the WRCF’s head of research implementation.

On the flip side, in a more positive stance, the report found that eating citrus fruits could decrease the risk of stomach cancer.