There may be a hidden cancer risk hidden in your morning routine. That is, if you are one of the many Americans who skip eating a healthy breakfast at home to stop at the drive-thru for a muffin or a donut with your coffee, then you may be setting yourself up for an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer. This is the finding of a recent study conducted by researchers in France, and it could mean that in addition to making it more difficult for you to keep up with your weight loss goals following weight loss surgery, you may also be exposing yourself to unnecessarily high health risks in association with chronic disease.

The risk associated with regular consumption of highly processed foods was far from minimal. Researchers reported a 10% increase in cancer risk associated with regular consumption of highly processed foods, such as donuts, muffins, and cookies. Foods like donuts, the highly processed sweets that cause so many people to struggle with their weight loss plans, was specifically associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Other unhealthy foods, including foods high in fat and sugar were associated with an increased overall risk for cancer rather than with one specific type.

The researchers were quick to note that there is a chance that this correlation is merely a correlation, however. The problem is that it was impossible to control for all other environmental factors throughout the run of this study, and so those who ate the highly processed foods may have engaged in other behaviors that might lead them to have an overall increase in their cancer risk. The idea behind this counterargument is that those who regularly eat unhealthy foods may also regularly engage in other unhealthy behaviors, so the unhealthy fat and sugar consumption may be more of a marker for risk than the actual cause of the risk.

What this means is that keeping yourself free from chronic disease comes down to being as much about living a healthy lifestyle as does successfully losing weight. One of the earliest lessons you’ll have to learn when meeting with your weight loss surgeon is that being healthy is interconnected. Every action, every choice, and every behavior are connected—so making one healthy choice influences the other choices you get to make that day. Making healthy choices a routine part of your lifestyle could help you prevent the onset of disease as well as finally achieve your weight loss goal.