A new report from the UN‘s World Health Organisation, striking fear into the hearts of breakfast enthusiasts everywhere, has claimed that bacon, sausage and other forms of processed and cured meats are carcinogenic.
The report claims that it takes less than 50g of processed meat per day – equivalent to less than two slices of bacon – to increase the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18%.
‘Processed meat’ is a broad term and includes any meat that has been “transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation.”
This includes everything from sausages through to hot dogs, jerky, bacon, salami, sliced turkey and ham and cold cuts. The WHO claim that the process of salting and curing meat, in particular, leads to the build-up of carcinogenic chemicals.
Processed meats have been declared “high-risk” by the WHO, who also claim that red meat is a “probable” cancer cause, but still stress that meat has health benefits, and recommend cutting it down in your diet rather than giving it up.
Anyway, brb, we’re off to ponder this information over a bacon sandwich.
via Washington Post
Photo: World Photo Plus via Getty Images
Photo: World Photo Plus via Getty Images
