White Bread, Bagels, And Other Carbs Linked To Lung Cancer Risk

First they came for fast food, then they came for our bacon, but has a new cancer study gone too far?

Bread, bagels, and other starchy foods with high glycemic indexes are the latest food to be slapped with a possible carcinogen label. A new study from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has linked a diet high in carbs like white bread, bagels, and white rice, with a 49 percent increase in lung cancer risk.

This is not the first time that high-glycemic foods have been linked to cancer, according to The Daily Mail, but it's rare for a specific type of cancer to be listed as a possible side effect of eating too many simple carbs high in sugar, especially lung cancer, which is typically associated with smoking.

"The results from this study suggest that, besides maintaining healthy lifestyles, reducing the consumption of foods and beverages with high glycemic index may serve as a means to lower the risk of lung cancer," Dr. Xifeng Wu, who led the study, said in a statement.

According to NBC, doctors believe that high-glycemic foods, which stimulate the body to produce insulin, affects the growth of cells. Since cancer is the uncontrollable growth of cells, when your body produces too much insulin it could be inadvertently causing the growth of small tumors.

"Insulin-like growth factors have been shown to play a critical role in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation in cancer and there is evidence to suggest that IGFs are elevated in lung cancer patients," Wu said.

Does this mean you should totally give up your Sunday morning bagel, or quit eating sushi with rice? There's no need to panic over sensationalist headlines, but it is something to consider when making dietary changes.