World Health Organization (WHO) experts said, eating processed meat can lead to bowel cancer in humans while red meat is a likely cause of the disease.
The France-based International Agency For Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the who, put processed meat such as hot dogs and ham in its group 1 list, which already includes tobacco, asbestos and diesel fumes, for which there is “sufficient evidence” of cancer links.
Red meat, under which the IARC includes beef, lambs and pork were classified as a “probable” carcinogen in its group 2a list that also contains glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weed killers.
The lower classification for red meat reflected “limited evidence” that it causes cancer.
The IARC found links mainly with bowel cancer, as was the case for processed meat, but it also observed associations with pancreatic and prostate cancer.
It estimated each 50 grams of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
Loomis said it’s important to note that the category a certain substance is placed in does not necessarily correspond to the level of risk, but rather the strength of research backing the claim of a risk existing.
The preparation of the IARC ‘s report has already prompted vigorous reactions from meat industry groups, which argue meat forms part of a balanced diet and that cancer risk assessments need to be set in a broader context of environmental and lifestyle factors. (Eagle News Service)
