Sigh: Sugary, Starchy, Delicious Food May Cause Endometrial Cancer

Cookies, donuts, cake, white bread—you know, what makes food worth eating and life worth living—are linked to an increased risk for endometrial cancer, according to a new report. Additionally, researchers reinforced that obesity is probably the biggest cause of cancer.

Two organizations, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund International, assigned an international panel of experts to review and analyze evidence of what causes particular cancers. This time around they chose to focus on endometrial cancer, a common form of a cancer that affects around 50,000 women in the U.S. each year.

Estrogen is a known cause for endometrial cancer and because fat cells secrete estrogen, the disease has a “very, very strong and consistent association with obesity,” according to the panel, who said that obese women are two to three times more likely to develop endometrial cancer. They suggest that 59 percent of those cases could be prevented if women are active at least 30 minutes a day.

They also found numerous studies that link a glycemic load (high blood sugar) with an increased risk, caused by eating foods that quickly convert to glucose, like refined sugar or refined grains (like white flour).

So, basically, this just in: exercise and a balanced diet will keep you healthy.

Image via Hayati Kayhan/Shutterstock

Drop the cookie: Sweet, starchy foods ‘probably’ cause women’s cancer [MSNBC]