Study after study supports my Younger (Thinner) You Diet that eliminates white foods. One of the main tenets of the Younger Thinner You Diet is to focus on colorful foods, and abstain completely from “white”: white bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. Our society eats too much white flour and sugar. Our bodies were designed to eat foods that are natural and unrefined, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, fish, herbs and spices. When we stray from what the body requires and consume factory-made foods that are loaded with chemicals and devoid of nutrients, our bodies deteriorate. These foods are all high in starch and low in nutrients. They will add pounds to your waistline, and now we know that they will take off years of your life. In light of the recent research, a diet of white bread, rice and pasta is another risk factor.

            Eating high amounts of bread and pasta causes rises in insulin-like growth factors which might play a role in the increase in cancer. An article published in the Bariatrician reported that a high-starch diet may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer and almost every other cancer. A study was conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital School of Public Health where researchers suggest that excess insulin can promote the development of pancreatic cancer.

            A second Italian case-control study was published in the International Journal of Cancer that evaluated the relation between a wide range of foods and the risk of kidney cancer. The researchers assessed the diets of 767 men and women with kidney cancer and compared to 1534 controls who were admitted to the same hospitals for acute, non-cancer disorders. They found that the top 20 percent of patients who consumed the most bread (12 ounces or more a day) were almost twice as likely to suffer from kidney cancer as those who consumed 3 ½ ounces or less. In addition, people who consumed the most pasta in the study (18 ounces or more) were 1/3^rd more likely to develop kidney cancer. Consumption of bread increased the risk of kidney disease by 94 percent, pasta and rice by 29 percent. A significant direct trend in risk was found for bread and a modest excess of risk was observed for pasta and rice.

            Refined white flour is generally listed on food packaging labels as “flour,” enriched flour,” unbleached flour,” durum wheat,” semolina,” or “white flour.” Read your labels carefully and avoid purchasing breads with these words. Instead, find breads that contain only whole wheat: they are labeled “100% whole wheat.”