Instead, unprocessed red meat was classified as a “probable” carcinogen in its group 2A list that also contains glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weedkillers.
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(CNN)The World Health Organisation (WHO) released a report Monday which placed processed meats, including bacon and sausages, in the same category as smoking and asbestos for causing cancer.
The finding supports “recommendations to limit intake of meat” – particularly in processed forms, the IARC said. The meat industry protests the classification, arguing that cancer isn’t caused by a specific food but also involves lifestyle and environmental factors. The studies also evaluated the types of cancers in each population and their diets these last 20 years.
For unprocessed red meat – beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse or goat – the review found “strong” evidence of a cancer-causing effect, but not sufficient to place it in the same group of cancer-causing agents.
The Meat Advisory Panel added: “Eating a bacon bap every once in a while isn’t going to do much harm – having a healthy diet is all about moderation”.
The agency said it did not have enough data to define how much processed meat is too unsafe, but said the risk grows with the amount consumed.
Most of us love a good breakfast with bacon, but a new study suggests two slices a day can increase your risk for colon cancer by 18 percent. This year, the panel recommended that Americans cut back on red and processed meat. The American Cancer Society has long urged people to reduce consumption of red meat and processed meat.
“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer due to their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed”, Dr. Kurt Straif, head of the IARC monograph program, said.
Health experts in a few countries already advise against eating large amounts of red and processed meat.
The report identified processed meats as any meat that had been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation.
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“(Meat) shouldn’t be compared to cigarettes and obviously that makes the whole (report) a farce – comparing sausages to cigarettes”, Joyce said.
