This really is bad news for meat lovers. According to a World Health Organisation research, processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages can cause cancer just as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.
The reports reveal that 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.
According to the research conducted by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, It revealed that red meats were “probably carcinogenic” though there was limited evidence.
The research has placed processed meat in the same category as plutonium and also alcohol as they definitely do cause cancer; though, it doesn’t suggest they are equally dangerous.
The report also classifies beef, lamb and pork as “probable” carcinogens in a second-tier list that also includes glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weed killers.
According to Dr Kurt Straif from the WHO: “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,”
The agency estimates that a 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increased the risk for bowel cancer by 18 percent, which is about three slices of cooked bacon daily.
Estimates suggest that 34,000 deaths from cancer every year could be due to diets high in processed meat.
The report suggested that there should be a cut down in eating red meat rather than totally abstaining from it as meat comes with health benefits.
S.O.Z