- Scientists conducted a mouse study to investigate the impact of fast food on girls
- Unhealthy food contains proteins that lead to abnormal breast cells in rodents
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A preference for burgers, fries and shakes can spread among teenage girls the seeds of the breast cancer later in life.
A diet high in sugar, carbohydrates, and processed meats and foods is known to increase inflammation levels in the body, increasing the risk of cancer and heart disease for everyone.
Now a study has shown that it can be particularly harmful for teenage girls to indulge in such a diet when they are going through puberty and their breasts are still developing.
Scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina have found that fast food and junk food contain high levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which can cause changes in the breasts similar to those seen in breast cancer patients, such as increased breast density.
More than 264,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. It is the most common form of cancer in women in America, with more than 43,000 deaths from the condition every year
Most breast growth occurs during adolescence. Dr. Steven Quay, a Seattle physician-scientist who was not involved in the study, said the “environmental assaults at that vulnerable time could cause changes that take decades.”
The rodent study, published in the journal Breast cancer researchsaw scientists produce AGE products by boiling glucose-based rodent food at 248 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes.
This stimulated the formation of a broad spectrum of AGEs typically found in fried or grilled foods.
AGEs are harmful compounds formed when proteins or fats mix with sugar in the bloodstream.
Mice undergoing puberty were divided into three groups: a control group fed a normal mouse diet, a group fed a low AGE diet and a group fed a high AGE diet.
In terms of its effect on the structure of the breasts in the mice, the high AGE diet led to changes in breast tissue similar to what is seen in patients with very early stage breast cancer.
This included a change manifested in greater breast density in humans.
In humans, increased breast density can only be diagnosed with a mammogram.
Only the mice on the high AGE diet produced abnormal breast cells.
Scientists are still not entirely sure why dense breast tissue is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
Dense breast tissue is thought to contain more cells that can develop into abnormal cells, and in women, abnormal breast cells increase the risk of breast cancer.
The study does not prove a causal link between high-AGE foods and breast cancer, but shows that eating a lot of processed fast food may increase the chance of developing dense breast tissue, which increases the future risk of breast cancer.
Dr. Quay called for the development of guidelines to recommend a diet low in processed foods to adolescent girls to reduce the risk of future breast cancer.
There are many other reasons why someone may be diagnosed with breast cancer, including genetic factors.
Men can also get breast cancer, although the study did not look at dieting in old age and the risk of breast cancer in men.
More than 264,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. It is the most common form of cancer in women in America, with more than 43,000 deaths from the condition each year.
