Lazy cooks are nearly three times more likely to develop aggressive breast cancer compared to those who eat healthily, a new study suggests.

Researchers say foods which cause inflammation may be behind the increased risk and have drawn up a list of products linked to the disease.

Ready-made sauces such as those used in curry and pasta dishes, as well as industrially produced bakery goods like bread and pies, are all named.

They are believed to increase the risk of cancer by damaging DNA.

Presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, the study found women who ate the most inflammatory foods were 39 per cent more likely to develop any form of breast cancer than those who ate the least.

They were also 2.72 times more likely to develop the more aggressive and hard to treat triple-negative type.