MODERATION IS KEY
Eating a diet heavy in processed meats like hot dogs and salami can increase people’s risk of developing colorectal cancer, according to a statement from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization.
After considering the results of more than 800 studies, the committee classified processed meats as a Group 1 carcinogen, which is known to cause cancer in humans—other agents in that group include alcohol, smoking, and various chemical compounds. Red meat, such as beef or pork, was categorized as a Group 2A possible carcinogen.
But having a diet filled with bacon and sausage doesn’t mean that a person is likely to develop cancer as much as a smoker is likely to. Three out of every 10,000 cases of colorectal cancer is caused by processed meats, a nutritional and gastrointestinal health expert told The Guardian—that’s about 40 cases in the U.S. per year. Smoking, on the other hand, is responsible for 30 percent of all cancer deaths (and many more cases), which is almost 177,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone.
So although the evidence supporting the link between red and processed meats and an elevated cancer risk is strong, eating those foods isn’t the biggest cancer risk—smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption are still responsible for millions more deaths worldwide.
"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," said Kurt Straif, the head of the IARC program, in a press release.
As Cancer Research UK points out, a little meat isn’t bad for you, as long as it’s in moderation.
It makes sense that smoking is much worse for you than bacon is. I agree and also think that bacon could possibly cause you to get cancer but I also believe that it is not as likely to get cancer from bacon and other meats than it is to get cancer from smoking. I have had several relatives die of lung cancer and they all were heavy smokers. I think it is important to know the risks of the things we consume.
ReplyDeleteI've always been told that eating red meat can be harmful. I don't think it's possible to cause cancer though. In america pork, and beef are a every day thing. We consume so much of it that it could be a reason of why so many people are getting sick.
ReplyDeleteI kind of knew that eating to much meat is bad for you, but i didn't know it could kill you. I'm a big meat eater, but i don't eat a lot of beef. I eat more of lean meat, i think it's called. I don't know, like ham. I eat ham and chicken. I love chicken. Especially Indi's chicken. They're really good. I knew alcohol, smoking, and all that jazz is really bad for you and can kill you.
ReplyDeleteI know many of us are quite aware of the fact that eating too much red meat, is bad for you. Heck, I believe that we're all hopefully, told that by our parents to have a well-balanced diet. I see this BLOG as a simple reminder to stick to eating small portions of meat, due to the causes that it can lead to with our bodies.
ReplyDeleteI've heard people say this about red meat all of my life. I wonder if there is an increased effect when people smoke their meats. It reasonable to know that too much of anything can kill you, so I wouldn't worry about this too much.
ReplyDeleteI think that red meat situation is pretty obvious. I also think that it is important to know what foods cause certain health risks. There are lots of foods in the world that are said to having some affect to cancer.
ReplyDeleteI've always heard that eating too much of certain kinds of meats can cause health defects, but I never knew it could cause cancer. I think this is just a further reminder that you need to pay attention to what you eat and stick to small portions of certain kinds of food.
ReplyDeleteReading this came off a little scary to me. I had never heard about meat causing cancer, I mean sure i've heard about too much meat causing health problems. But I never imagined cancer. I pay a lot of attention to what I eat, and what is in what I eat for certain reasons. But, not as much for meats. I guess we all need to watch what we eat and have a diverse range of food options.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I knew eating too much meat could be bad for you, eating too much of anything is bad really, but I never knew TOO much could be a cause of cancer. Though it doesn't really affect me, considering I never really eat meat. Even though large amounts of meat can be bad, I'm sure it's obvious smoking and drinking are far more worse.
ReplyDeleteNo amount of cancer research is going to convince me to stop eating bacon. Red meat, ALL RED MEAT, is just too good to give up. Am I concerned that too much hamburger could kill me one day? In the back of my mind, yes. Still, some things are too good to give up, even if they're harmful.
ReplyDeletetoo much of anything is bad. I think if we really looked into the foods we eat and the products we use, many of them would probably lead to cancer. I think warnings should e on the products and that the moderations should be listed on the packaging so people know the risks that they could face if the consumption of the product increases at a steady pace.
ReplyDeleteWell, I just really like steak and hamburgers. I feel like I have already knew about this but it wont change my mind or make me stop eating meat. We know a lot of things are dangerous but we still do it. I like to eat meat.
ReplyDeleteI always knew red and processed meat was bad for you. I would have never thought meat would cause cancer. Processed meat probably is way worse because it is left over parts of the animal. I always knew smoking and drinking causes cancer faster and more than other things.
ReplyDeleteI knew that eating too much red meat is not good for you, but I did not know that it could cause cancer. It did not shock me that smoking is more dangerous. I like to eat meat, but not too often. People need to be better informed of harmful things, especially when it has to do with something popular or an everyday thing.
ReplyDeleteI have never really been to much of a meat eater besides like chicken of course, but I did know that it wasn't the best thing to eat all the time, the red meat I mean. If you grew up with common sense then you should've known that smoking and abuse of alcohol can cause different types of cancers. It kinda surprises me to be honest that red meats can cause cancer too.
ReplyDeleteI believe moderation is necessary for almost everything in life. I didn't know that too much consumption of red meat can cause cancer. I believe that smoking is still a bigger threat.
ReplyDeleteI knew that red meats were bad for you. I also knew that smoking is a bigger threat, like most of the comments before. Too much of something is bad. I'd think eating bacon everyday for ever meal wouldn't only make you fat but could kill you.
ReplyDeleteIve always heard that eating to much red and processed meat is bad for you. I just thought it would make you sick. I didnt know it could give you cancer. But this is good to know.
ReplyDeleteLike Macie said I've heard that red and processed meat is bad, so my mom doesn't really have it in the house. Its crazy that it can lead to cancer, I never knew that part.
ReplyDeleteRed meat is of course bad for you. I hear it all the time by health people and doctors. My health class last year even talked about not having a balanced diet can be very unhealthy for your health. I was not aware, however that you can receive CANCER from eating some meat. That sounds crazy to me but I'm not the professional making the calls here.
ReplyDeleteThis is really surprising to me because I love bacon. But other meats like hot dogs and salami are not my thing. But the fact it may give you a higher risk of cancer is crazy. But whatever.
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of them things that people worry about too much. honestly I think that if u are one of the people that worry about these thing just don't eat meat. you cant avoid every thing so just live you life how u want to.
ReplyDeleteI feel like they put way too much thought into this. I'm pretty sure that if we looked into it, most things we eat could give us cancer if we ate too much of them. But having the thought that eating too much bacon or red meat in general, could give me cancer is scary.
ReplyDeleteWhy worry about what you eat if it's not taking an immediate risk to your health or endangering anyone around you? Life was meant to enjoy one self, to be honest, it reminds me of when people "watch" their calories and count every calorie they eat. Its pointless, you'll either be fat or skinny in this society. Just eat what you want and don't worry about the effects unless it's an immediate danger to your health.
ReplyDeleteI knew bacon isn't good for you but I didn't think it was a carcinogen! It never really seemed like it could cause cancer. It makes sense that smoking and alcohol abuse have a higher chance of causing cancer than eating bacon.
ReplyDeleteI already knew most of the things that this blog talked about and I don,t really care very much. We will all die someday for one reason or another and we all do way more dangerous things on a daily basis than eating red meat. For example, getting behind the wheel of a car will more likely result in death than cancer would from eating too much processed meat. Besides, if you are eating enough processed meat to give you cancer, you would probably die of high cholesterol first.
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