The scientists concluded that each 50-gram (1.8-ounce) portion of processed meat eaten daily over the course of a lifetime increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
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Processed meats – such as bacon, sausages and ham cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The scientific evidence does not support a cause or link between any type of red or processed meat and any type of cancer”, says Dr. Shalene McNeill with the National Cattleman’s Beef Association.
The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) immediately issued a statement declaring the classification as defying “both common sense … other studies showing the many health benefits of balanced diets that include meat”. However, the organization said red meat still has “nutritional value”.
As cured meat is classified as a cause of cancer, a hot debate on how to balance eating habit and being healthy is sparked online.
The research indicates most harm from eating processed meats appears in colorectal cancers, which is where their study was focused, while smoking is known to be particularly related to lungs.
Processed meats are meats that have been transformed to enhance flavour or improve preservation through processes such as salting, curing and smoking.
Red meat is also “probably” carcinogenic, with associations mainly with bowel cancer, but also with pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer, according to a World Health Organisation report published yesterday.
The agency added processed meat to the same category of cancer-causing agents as tobacco smoke and asbestos, but stressed this did not mean it was just as unsafe. He says as long as people aren’t eating bacon at every meal and are following Canada’s Food Guide, there’s no reason to stop eating meat. Processed meats are also associated with other health hazards, high risk of heart failure being one of them.
“What we’re saying is, it isn’t that you should eat meat”.
“I’d say reduce your intake of processed meat and red meat”.
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Fresh red meat is also ranked as a “probable” carcinogen.
