Junk food damages red blood cells causing higher risk of cancer
People who eat food that lacks antioxidants produce damaged red blood cells and are more at risk of developing cancer, according to a study at Swansea University. Red blood cells are vital for carrying oxygen around the body and removing waste carbon dioxide. Those who eat low levels of fruit and vegetables had more than double the mutation rate of a healthy person who should have no more than three to five mutated cells per million, the study showed.

Burger fans could be more at risk of cancer than vegetarians because junk food damages blood cells.

People who do not eat enough antioxidants - which are found in fresh foods - produce red bloods cells that are damaged, scientists at Swansea University found.

These cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues, and remove waste carbon dioxide, making them a vital part of human wellbeing.

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Burger fans could be more at risk of cancer than vegetarians because junk food damages blood cells

Examining red blood cells provides a useful indicator about someone's health, The Sunday Times reported.

Dr Hasan Haboubi, a gastroenterologist and cancer researcher, said: 'We have found that life­style, and especially diet, is intimately linked to the health of our tiniest cells.

'If we have a bad diet it is rapidly reflected in the state of those cells.'

Dr Haboubi studied red blood cells, which are created by stem cells in the bone marrow.

As stem cells move all around the body they are affected by a lots of lifestyle factors including diet, exercise and exposure to radiation.

If these are mutated, faulty blood cells are created.

People who do not eat enough antioxidants - which are found in fresh foods - produce red bloods cells that are damaged, scientists at Swansea University found

A healthy person should have no more than three to five cells that have mutated per million.

People who eat low levels of fruit and vegetables had more than double the mutation rate.

The findings were revealed when Dr Haboubi was trying to develop a blood test for cancer.