Energy-dense foods, sugary drinks and cancer prevention

Avoid sugary drinks and limit the consumption of energy-dense foods (particularly processed foods high in added sugar, or low in fibre, or high in fat).

Basing our diets on foods and drinks that are lower in energy density can help to stop us becoming overweight or obese. And maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important ways we can reduce our cancer risk.

Energy-dense foods, sugary drinks and cancer - the evidence

Scientific evidence shows that diets made up of too many energy-dense foods, particularly processed foods that are often high in sugar or fat, increase the risk of us becoming overweight or obese, which in turn increases our risk of a range of cancers, including bowel and breast cancer.

Evidence also shows that foods low in energy density help us to maintain a healthy weight.

There is strong evidence that regularly consuming sugary drinks contributes to weight gain. They are easy to drink in large quantities and often available in 'super-sized' portions but don't make us feel full, even though they are quite high in calories

What is energy density?

All foods provide us with energy (calories), but some foods contain more energy weight-for-weight than others. Foods that contain a lot of calories are known as energy-dense foods. They tend to be high in fat and/or sugar and can contribute to weight gain.

For example, 100g of chocolate contains around 10 times more calories than 100g of apple:

• 100g of milk chocolate = 520 kcals
• 100g of apple = 52 kcals

It can be difficult to control how much energy you are consuming if you eat a lot of energy-dense foods because you only need to eat a small amount to take in a lot of calories.

By choosing a diet based on lower energy-dense foods, you can actually eat more food but consume fewer calories. Lower energy-dense foods are high in water and fibre and help us feel fuller for longer.

What are sugary drinks?

Sugary drinks include fizzy drinks like cola, as well as cordials and squashes like blackcurrant juice drinks.

Natural fruit juice contains a lot of sugar, so it's best not to drink more than one glass a day. It is also important to know that fruit juice only counts as one of our recommended 5 A DAY portions of vegetables and fruits no matter how much you drink.

Tips for healthy eating

• Cut down on processed foods. In general, the healthiest foods are those that have only been minimally processed, such as vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and pulses.
• Swap sugary drinks for healthy alternatives. Water is always the best choice and unsweetened tea and coffee are good options (aim to limit coffee to no more than four cups a day).

Read all our Recommendations for Cancer Prevention