The study said there was “sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer”, and, according to the World Health Organization, processed meats – such as sausages, bacon, hot dogs and other cured meats – were a Group 1 carcinogen due to their links with bowel cancer.
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The group noted that red meat and processed meat consumption varies greatly between different countries, and that the risk increased with the amount eaten per person.
Monday, the World Health Organization released a new study, showing a strong link between eating processed meats and cancer.
These findings are compiled and voiced by a panel of 22 worldwide experts who did a review on decades of research done on the association of red meat, processed meats, and cancer.
“Processed meat is raw meat that has been transformed by any of several methods including curing, salting, smoking and also fermentation”.
“This is the same agency which has classified as carcinogenic: sunlight, alcoholic beverages and being a barber”, says David Warner at the National Pork Producers Council.
The IARC does not compare the level of cancer risk associated with different substances in a given category, so does not suggest eating meat is as unsafe as smoking, for example.
“If you are eating red meat on a daily basis or multiple times a day that’s probably where you at least need to think about ‘should I really cut down”, Samadder said.
Researchers classified processed meats as carcinogenic, definitely linking them to colorectal cancer.
The American Cancer Society has been recommending for years that people eat less processed meats and red meat. However, he doesn’t discount the fact that red meat has nutritional value. The culprits: ham, sausage and other processed meats.
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The classification given to processed meat – “carcinogenic to humans” – is the highest of five possible rankings, shared with alcohol, asbestos, arsenic and cigarettes.
