The report from WHO’s worldwide Agency for Research on Cancer said there was enough evidence to rank processed meats as group 1 carcinogens because of a causal link with bowel cancer.
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However, she said a daily increase of processed meats such as two slices of ham or two sausages did increase your cancer risk.
Studies also show that people who eat a lot of red meat tend to eat fewer plant-based foods that protect against cancer.
Klassen says that risk needs to be considered relative to the benefit of red meat, noting that beef is among the best food sources of well absorbed iron and protein. It also includes canned meats and meat-based sauces.
According to the World Health Organization, hot dogs, bacon, cold cuts and other processed meats raise the risk of colon, stomach and other cancers. The agency puts the cancer risk for red meat in the same group as the herbicide glyphosate, which EPA says is safe.
It does not mean that processed meat, smoking and asbestos are all equally risky, as classifications describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer, rather than assessing the level of risk.
Researchers classified processed meats as carcinogenic, definitely linking them to colorectal cancer. The report added that there were reasons to believe that red meat “probably” too caused colorectal cancer.
Red meat, however, is on a separate list along with an active compound in many weedkillers.
“These findings further support current public health recommendations to limit intake of meat”, said IARC director Dr. Christopher Wild. Red meat was described as ‘probably carcinogenic’.
Processed meat, on the other hand, “refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation”.
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The IARC was carrying out a formal review of meat for the first time and examined a few 800 studies during a meeting of 22 health experts in France earlier this month.
