Bacon and sausage are delicious, but it’s no secret that processed meats are bad for your health.
A review by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which was released on Monday, stated that processed meats can cause colorectal cancer in humans, according to Reuters.
IARC reportedly classified processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” on its group one list, along with tobacco and asbestos. Each 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily reportedly increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent, according to an estimate done by the agency.
Despite the findings in the report, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that you need to cut out processed meats from your diet completely.
“This decision doesn't mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat, but if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down,” explained Professor Tim Key, from the Cancer Research UK and the University of Oxford, according to BBC News.
“Eating a bacon bap every once in a while isn't going to do much harm - having a healthy diet is all about moderation."
Although bacon may have been placed in the same category as tobacco, this reportedly doesn’t mean that they are equally dangerous.
“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," Dr Kurt Straif from the WHO said.
The recent report reportedly had little effect on meat companies when it comes to selling their products.
“I'm not expecting that [IARC] report to be a big issue going forward," said Brian Weddington, a vice president of Moody's Investors Service's corporate finance group.
“I think there's still going to be a lot of hot dogs sold tomorrow."
