World Health Organisation Says Processed Meat Increases The Likelihood Of Contracting Cancer

With the results of research that keeps coming out every day, pretty soon we’ll be handicapped in what we can or cannot eat.

Research by Cancer Research UK, the cancer research arm of the World Health Organisation, says eating processed meat increases your chances of contracting cancer.

“50g of processed meat a day – less than two slices of bacon – increased the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18%.” The report stressed.

Red meats would also increase your chances of cancer, the agency said; although there was far less evidence for that.

The report from the agency also stressed that meat had its benefits, and that rather than swearing it off, cutting down on the amount consumed is the way forward.

The BBC article on the topic defined processed meat as “meat [that] has been modified to either extend its shelf life or change the taste and the main methods are smoking, curing, or adding salt or preservatives.

“Processed meat includes bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, beef jerky and ham as well as canned meat and meat-based sauces.

“It is the chemicals involved in the processing which could be increasing the risk of cancer. High temperature cooking, such as on a barbeque, can also create carcinogenic chemicals.”

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” Dr Kurt Straif from the WHO said.

The organisation has now placed processed meat in the same category as plutonium, asbestos, and alcohol; although it maintains the risks with processed meat is not on the same level as that of the other substances.