Cancer Caused by Processed Meats

So the recent word on the street is that processed meats can cause cancer. What a surprise; a couple more things that I love to add to the list of causes of cancer. Processed meat includes bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, beef jerky and ham as well as canned meat and meat-based sauces. At this point it’s almost inevitable to get the disease because it is in everything.

 

Official Report

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), consuming up to 50 grams or more of these processed meats a day (less than 2 slices of bacon) can increase your risk of colon cancer by 18%. So unless you have a truly unhealthy habit of eating these meats, you shouldn’t have a problem. According to a case study, 6 of 100 people in the UK get colon cancer at least once in their lifetime. If those everyone of those 100 people started eating bacon everyday, that number could be expected to increase to 7, so one extra case a year.

There were also reports of red meat
being among other causes of cancer but the WHO had to dismiss the case due to a lack of evidence. Thankfully I can still enjoy my steaks that I have a such a passionate relationship with. The WTO also stated that people should just cutback on their consumption of the different meat products and not necessarily give up the food as a whole.

The reasons why processed and red meat is seen to be causing cancer is because the meat undergoes a “process” that alters the properties of the original substance. Companies and people do this in order to increase the shelf life of food and preserve it. The chemicals involved in this process are the main source.

Overreacting?

A lot of people have been taking this information too seriously and some were actually becoming vegetarian and even vegan to stay away from the increased risks of cancer. People need to understand that although some meats can cause cancer, they still provide health benefits. The main points to remember about a healthy life style is good diet and exercise. A good diet is a mainly healthy one but people can have a cheat day every now and then to treat themselves. The key of this type of diet is moderation. Also, research shows that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of several types of cancers, including colon cancer. So there is no need to raid your fridge and throw out anything red and delicious! Try to hit the gym and maybe just put one less slice of bacon on your burger.