WHO warns of cancer risk from bacon, sausages, red meat

Big bill · Oct 27th 2015, 9:45am

Eating bacon, ham and other processed meats causes cancer, declares World Health Organisation | Coach

Ian Johnson of the UK-based Institute of Food Research, said meat consumption was "probably one of many" factors contributing to relatively high rates of bowel cancer in the United States, Western Europe and Australia — parts of the developed world where more meat has traditionally been eaten.
However, "there is little or no evidence that vegetarians in the UK have lower risk of bowel cancer than meat-eaters," he said.

I take these types of warnings with a grain of salt.

Sure bowel cancer rates are higher in the US, Europe and Australia. More meat eaten, but also a lot more processed food (with added salt, chemicals, and especially sugar).

Sherrie · Oct 27th 2015, 10:20am

I'm reading a good article on it now, I'll add it once I'm finished

Sherrie · Oct 27th 2015, 11:05am

This is a really good article that explains all of the possible dangers and how to mitigate them. Its very long but well worth the read, basically it summarises with this:

(Click to set source)

The danger comes when we have an imbalance between our intake of plant foods and animal products—tilting too far in the direction of either carnivore or vegan. The key is to enjoy nutrient-dense items from both the plant and animal kingdoms that lead to healthy gut flora, an excellent micronutrient status, and happy taste buds.

» The Link Between Meat and Cancer

LC_Dave · Oct 28th 2015, 2:37pm

Apparently it raises your existing probability by 15%.

So say you have a 1% probability for cancer, if you stuff your face daily full of cured meats for 60 years, your rate of cancer skyrockets to 1.15%.

I suggest we declare a national emergency on this!

Sherrie · Oct 28th 2015, 2:45pm

Garry gets lectured all the time by well meaning friends regarding not eating red meat to treat his cancer, it will be interesting to see if this increases now!

Ironically these same people usually try to talk him into having a beer! (we don't drink)

Sherrie · Oct 29th 2015, 9:59am

Here's another article and a good quote that covers your point Dave

(Click to set source)

The scientific evidence linking both processed meat and tobacco to certain types of cancer is strong. In that sense, both are carcinogens. But smoking increases your relative risk of lung cancer by 2,500 percent; eating two slices of bacon a day increases your relative risk for colorectal cancer by 18 percent. Given the frequency of colorectal cancer, that means your risk of getting colorectal cancer over your life goes from about 5 percent to 6 percent and, well, YBMMV. (Your bacon mileage may vary.) “If this is the level of risk you’re running your life on, then you don’t really have much to worry about,” says Alfred Neugut, an oncologist and cancer epidemiologist at Columbia.

wired.com/2015/10/who-does-bac…r-sort-of-but-not-really/

Big bill · Nov 3rd 2015, 9:16am

I wonder how much of this is related to the massively well-funded food industry bringing pressure to bear, or funding this sort of research, and trying to shift the focus away from recent evidence and studies about the ill effects of sugar and processed carbs. (Tin-foil hat time, I know).

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