|
Sci Tech
Bacon increases cancer risk
ALOK JHA — GUARDIAN NEWSPAPERS LIMITED 2008
Eating just one sausage a day, or the equivalent of any processed meat, could increase the risk of developing bowel cancer by a fifth, says a leading scientist. Martin Wiseman, medical adviser for the World Cancer Research Fund, said people eating 50g of processed meat a day — about one sausage or a few rashers of bacon — were putting their health at risk.
Processed meat includes food treated with preservatives, or which is preserved by smoking, curing or salting.
Ham, bacon, pastrami, salami, hot dogs and processed sausages fall into the category, as do hamburgers and minced meat if preserved with salt or chemical additives.
Wiseman said research showed only 30 per cent of Britons were aware that eating processed meat increased cancer risk.
He said: “We are more sure now than ever before, that eating processed meat increases your risk of bowel cancer. “The evidence is that whether you are talking about bacon, ham or pastrami — the safest amount to eat is none at all. Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the UK, with almost 100 new cases being diagnosed each day.
According to the WCRF, processed meat could be increasing bowel cancer risk through carcinogenic substances such as N-nitroso compounds in the nitrates used to preserve meat.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Sci Tech
|
