Teflon Pans and Cancer: Is There a Link?

WebMD the Magazine - Feature
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

Q: I've heard that using Teflon nonstick pans for cooking can cause cancer. Is that true?

A: Tremendous confusion exists on this topic, but we're happy to report this belief is FALSE.

ccording to the findings of a 2006 Environmental Protection Agency scientific advisory panel, the primary chemical used to make Teflon -- perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA -- is a "likely human carcinogen." But that applies only to PFOA that has been emitted into the environment.

"The link between Teflon cookware and cancer is an entirely different subject," says Robert Wolke, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the two-part book series What Einstein Told His Cook. "There is no PFOA in the final Teflon product, so there is no risk that it will cause cancer in those who use Teflon cookware."

That said, Wolke warns, "heating a Teflon pan to 500 degrees or more" (as happens when we leave empty pans on high heat by mistake) can result in smoke and gases that can cause flu-like symptoms in humans and kill pet birds.

So keep an eye on your stovetop and keep your smoke alarms in good working order.

Fast Food Wrappers are More Dangerous Than the Food They Hold

By Brandi Koskie - DietsInReview.com

Cheeseburgers are bad for you. French fries are bad for you. Double-cheesy-triple-layer-giant-sized burritos are bad for you. None of this is news. However, what if you learned that the paper that wraps these drive-through delicacies was worse for you than the food they hold? This, would be important news.

New research from the University of Toronto reports that this is, sadly, true. Perfluoroalkyls are chemicals that repel grease, oil and water. Typically these are used for Teflon coating, stain-resistant carpet and varnish - things that need to protect themselves from grease and other liquids, according to EatDrinkBetter.com. Additionally, these chemicals are used to coat fast food wrappers, to keep the grease and condiments from reaching your hands. Don't think you're not ingesting it just because a burger was wrapped in it for a couple minutes. High levels of these chemicals are leached into the food that you eat, and thus are showing up in people's blood.

Regulators haven't made motions for stricter regulation on this group of chemicals, also known as PFCAs, because they assumed three things, according to Scott Mabury, the study's lead researcher: “That the chemicals wouldn't move off paper into food; they wouldn't become available to the body; and the body wouldn't process them. They were wrong on all three counts.”

We reported at DietsInReview.com, in "Fast Food Wrappers as Bad for You as the Food Inside," that "These chemicals belong to the group commonly called 'gender bending' chemicals because they have shown to be disruptive to the endocrine system and can negatively affect the sex hormones." The chemicals are carcinogens, and linger in the environment for a long time, which is why the chemical industry began reducing its dependency.

EatDrinkBetter.com said "The amount of polyfluoroalkyl phosphate [eaters] absorbed from a single fast-food wrapper is not enough to make anyone sick, so don’t fret if you just got back from a drive-thru." However, if artery-clogging amounts of fat, multiple days' worth of calories, and heart-stopping amounts of sodium weren't enough to make you resist your combo meal cravings, maybe cancer-causing packaging will. Likewise, eating one burger once in a while isn't going to hurt. But when you eat fast food daily for one or more meals, and people do this, it becomes a problem.

Let's talk about Helicobacter Pylori

Most people really don't know what H. plyori is. (The above pic is of the bacteria) I didn't until my mom (age 75) was diagnosed with it. This is a bacteria known for causing stomach ulcers and linked to stomach cancer because of that. (Mom's dad died from stomach cancer.)

Their are certain foods that can help kill this nasty bacteria and we all need to add these to our diet to help protect us from stomach ulcers and stomach cancer.

* Broccoli sprouts
* Cranberries and its juice (The juice of cranberries helps kill bacteria in the mouth, too)
* Garlic
* Extra virgin olive oil
* Oranges and tangerines
* Turmeric (a spice made from cucumin)
* Resveratrol (found in wine, peanuts and berries) 20 milligrams/daily is the recommended amount. This is the best way to get it as you'd have to drink 1000's of glasses of wine to get the same 20 milligrams, as found in a supplement!

Cabbage - a head start on better health

Find new ways to enjoy cabbage and you could add extra muscle to your cancer defense. Here's how:

Some cancer-causing substances don't make trouble until a special enzyme "switches on" their ability to damage cells and DNA. But cabbage contains an isothiocyanate called benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC). Animal studies suggest that BITC may stop most enzymes from flipping the "on switch" so your cells are more likely to escape cancer-causing damage.

But cabbage doesn't just take out inactive cancer-causers. It also delivers sulforaphane to combat cancer-causing substances that are already active. Sulforaphane persuades your liver to produce more of its potent phase-2 detoxification enzymes. These extra shock troops supercharge your immune system, arming it with more power to disarm cancer-causing substances and sweep them out of your body.

Turn up the taste: Spice cabbage with oregano, dill, celery seed, caraway or savory.

Keep seeing Red: Add vinegar or lemon juice to red cabbage when cooking or cutting it. Otherwise, it may turn blue or purple.


Source: "Your body can heal itself" by the editors of FC&A Medical Publishing

Foods and Cancer...

The odds a person will ever be diagnosed with cancer are 1 in 2.44, and the odds a person will die of it are 1 in 4.7. Although most of us think we eat pretty well—the odds an adult considers him- or herself a healthy eater are 1 in 1.56 (64%)—cancer remains the second most common cause of death in America, after heart disease.

Complicating the food-cancer connection is the fact that cancer is a whole constellation of diseases, each with its own risk factors; at the same time, the definition of “eating right” seems to change every time we look at the health news. “Healthy eating” now includes, in addition to the old standbys like fruits and vegetables, some items we used to think of as mere indulgences.

HEROES AND POTENTIAL HEROES

Fruits and vegetables: the American Cancer Society sums it up this way: Vegetables and fruits, particularly if they have lot of color, are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc., that collectively reduce the risk of cancer, including lung cancer and cancers of the digestive tract (from mouth to colon). However, some recent research has failed to find major reductions in cancer risk associated with eating the recommended five servings a day. One study that followed nearly half a million people found only a “very small inverse association.” Researchers have suggested that studies of specific plant foods might be more fruitful. For example:

Citrus. Consuming citrus fruits was associated with lower cancer rates in an analysis of 48 international studies. Oranges, the researchers said, have very high antioxidant levels, with flavonoids that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties.

Garlic. Some studies have indicated consuming garlic helps protect against various cancers. An analysis in the Journal of Nutrition of seven population studies, for example, showed that garlic consumption reduced the risk of colorectal and stomach cancers. (The odds a person will ever be diagnosed with colorectal cancer are 1 in 18.45.)

Tomatoes and Broccoli. Evidence that the lycopene found in tomatoes prevents prostate cancer is inconclusive. One study found that eating tomatoes in combination with broccoli shrank prostate tumors in rats by 52%. Evidence that broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables have particular cancer-prevention effects remains merely suggestive, but one compound found in broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts shows promise in stopping the growth of prostate and breast cancer cells.

Red Wine. Drinking moderate amounts of red wine has been shown to lower prostate cancer risk. It contains resveratrol (an antioxidant) and flavonoids (polyphenols also found in chocolate), which appear to be healthful agents. (The odds a male will ever be diagnosed with prostate cancer are 1 in 6.29, and the odds he’ll die of it are 1 in 35.71.) Another study showed a 60% drop in lung cancer risk among male smokers who had one or two glasses of red wine per day. ( Lung cancer kills 1 in 16.75 Americans, more than any other type of cancer.) On the other hand, drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind has been linked with a higher risk of breast cancer in women.

Chocolate. The antioxidants in chocolate may help prevent cancer by fighting cell damage that leads to tumors.

VILLAINS AND POTENTIAL VILLAINS

Some foods may carry increased cancer risk. A new Korean study found a small increase in stomach cancer associated with a saltier diet. (In the US, the odds a person will ever be diagnosed with stomach cancer are 1 in 111.1.) A new study on rats suggests eating a fatty diet during pregnancy carries breast cancer risk for the children—and even grandchildren. A byproduct of cooking (especially burning) carbohydrate-rich foods has been tied to increased cancer risk in postmenopausal women. And soy contains phytoestrogens that may be linked to breast cancer, again in postmenopausal women.

FOOD VS. INGREDIENTS

So there’s no yes or no answer to the question of whether “eating right” prevents cancer. Clearly, some ingredients in some foods are linked to higher or lower risks for some cancers and other health problems. Maybe the best practice of all is just to follow food author Michael Pollan’s advice: If your grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, or you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don’t eat it.