Keto bread is very popular among keto lovers. Normally keto bread is prepared using either almond flour or coconut flour.
Also, chia flour and flaxseed meals can be used to make low carb keto bread. However, some people face keto bread side effects after consumption.
These side effects arise along with keto bread benefits. The most commons are:
But does keto bread cause cancer? No, a normal intake of keto bread does not cause cancer. Till now no scientific evidence available against keto bread’s harmful effect on the occurrence of cancer.
However, excess intake of keto bread especially saturated fat rich coconut flour may increase the risk of cancer.
Reasons Behind Keto Bread Cancer
Three major reasons which promote cancer are
- Obesity
- Oxidative stress
- Inflammation
Surplus intake of saturated fat rich coconut flour keto bread can cause any or all of these ailments. Which in turn causes cancer.
Let’s check the detailed analysis.
Obesity and coconut flour: Coconut flour is a rich source of saturated fat. It contains 13.33 grams of saturated fat against 100 gram serving size (1). Studies have shown that increased intake of fat, especially saturated fat promotes obesity (2).
Another study concluded that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats can decrease the risk of obesity (3).
There is a direct link between obesity and carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis is the process that causes cancer by cell mutation.
According to studies, high fat diet-induced obesity accelerates oral carcinogenesis or oral cancer(4). Moreover, obese adipose tissue may cause an ideal microenvironment to enhance tumor growth in prostate, pancreatic, and breast cancer (5).
That’s why the excess intake of coconut flour keto bread can increase the risk of cancer.
Coconut flour may promote oxidative stress & inflammation: The high saturated fat content of coconut flour may cause cancer by increasing the risk of oxidative stress.
Studies have shown that a high intake of saturated fat foods can cause oxidative stress (6). And oxidative stress is an active agent that promotes cancer by causing chronic inflammation (7).
Additional reason ultra-processed keto bread: This reason is applicable for all versions of keto bread. If keto bread follows ultra-processing formula it may indirectly increase the risk of cancer.
But what is ultra-processed keto bread? Well, low carb bread prepared using food substances with added sugar, color, and flavor is known as ultra-processed keto bread.
According to studies, ultra-processed foods increase promotes obesity (8). As, obesity is a major reason behind cancer, this type of keto bread may indirectly be related to cancer.
How to Prevent Keto Bread Cancer
The best way to prevent keto bread cancer is to reduce the intake of keto coconut bread. Also, for homemade keto bread, cancer risk can be overcome by substituting coconut flour with either almond flour, chia flour, or flaxseed meal.
All trio i.e flour prepared from keto almond nuts and low carb seeds like chia seeds and flaxseed contains a little amount of saturated fat.
As these flours are prepared directly without adding any other substances, the nutrient profile stays almost the same as the original food source.
In the case of market-bound keto bread try to avoid keto bread with high added sugar content or ultra-processed bread.
Final Thoughts
Keto bread mainly promotes stomach disorders like gas, bloating, constipation, or even diarrhea. However, keto bread is not directly related to the occurrence of cancer.
According to studies a high dietary intake of saturated fat promotes several factors which cause cancer in long run. One of the popular keto bread ingredients is coconut flour which is high in saturated fat.
That’s why a surplus intake of coconut flour rich keto bread may promote cancer. However, other versions of keto bread prepared from almond flour, chia flour, or flaxseed meal contain a little number of saturated fats which are completely safe.
