Ready sauces could put lazy cooks on fast track to illness

COOKS who use ready-made sauces are nearly three times more likely to develop aggressive breast cancer compared with those who eat healthily, a study suggests.

Researchers say foods that cause inflammation may be behind the increased risk and have drawn up a list of products linked to the disease.

Ready-made sauces such as those used in curry and pasta dishes, as well as industrially produced bakery goods like bread and pies, are all named. They are believed to increase the risk of cancer by damaging DNA.

The study, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, found women who ate the most inflammatory foods were 39 per cent more likely to develop any form of breast cancer than those who ate the least. They were also 2.72 times more likely to develop the aggressive and hard to treat triple-negative type.

Prof Adela Castelló, who led the study at Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid, Spain, said only women who ate large amounts of unhealthy foods were at significant risk.

She added: “Eating processed meat, fast foods or sweets once or twice a week probably won’t hurt you.

“The general advice for healthy dietary habits also serves for cancer prevention. Eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains daily; fish, legumes and nuts three or four times a week; and red meats once or twice per week.

“Avoid as much as possible processed meats, convenience and fast food, industrial bakery, sweets, sugared drinks and high-fat dairy products.”

The study examined nearly 2,000 women and compared cancer outcomes to dietary intake.