One of the big news stories this week was that the World Health Organisation (WHO) have classified processed meat as a ‘definite’ cause of cancer. They also said red meat is a ‘probable’ cause of bowel cancer and may be linked to cancers of the prostate and pancreas.
Reading the comments sections of many newspapers, we can see this news has caused a fair amount of anxiety and confusion. And, some people feel quite angry about it too. So, we’ve written this blog to put things into perspective and help you decide if you want to make any changes in your diet.
Background to the announcement
For many years, studies have shown that bowel cancer is more common in people who ate larger amounts of red and processed meat. The WHO announcement came after 22 experts from 10 countries got together to review over 800 research studies which looked at how likely some types of meat are to cause cancer.
Processed meat and red meat
Processed meat is meat that has been treated through processes such as salting, curing or smoking to increase its flavour or to help it keep for longer. Burgers, meat sauces, hot dogs, ham, bacon and sausages, including salami and chorizo, are all examples of processed meats. Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, or goat meat.
Scientists have found that processing meat, particularly red meat, can make cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) form in the meat. They have also found that cooking red meat, especially at the high temperatures used in pan frying, grilling, or barbecuing, can produce cancer-causing chemicals.
How big is the risk?
Some news reports mentioned that the WHO has put processed meat into the same category as tobacco. This sounds quite scary but it just means both these things can cause cancer. It doesn’t mean they are as risky as each other. The cancer risk caused by eating processed meat or red meat is much lower than the risk caused by smoking cigarettes.
Almost 9 in 10 lung cancers are caused by smoking while only 1 in 5 bowel cancers are caused by eating processed and red meat.
The experts at the WHO found that eating 50 grams of processed meat every day increases the risk of bowel cancer by 18%. (50g is about two rashers of bacon or an average sized burger.)
For red meat, eating 100g per day probably increases the risk of developing bowel cancer by about 17%. (100g of red meat is an average portion of minced beef in a meal such as lasagne.)
To put this another way, the average person has about a 1 in 20 (5%) risk of getting bowel cancer in their lifetime. The more processed meat or red meat they eat, the more this risk increases. Someone who eats 50g of processed meat every day increases their lifetime risk of bowel cancer by a small amount to about 1 in 17 (just under 6%). But, the more processed meat a person eats each day above 50g, the further their risk increases. This means if you eat as much as 250g of processed meat a day, your lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer will go up to almost 1 in 10 (10%).
So, the message is that although eating processed meat isn’t particularly good for you, if you eat it in moderation it isn’t likely to harm you. Eating a burger or bacon sandwich now and again isn’t a cause for concern. But, if you are eating large amounts of processed meat every day, you might want to think about cutting down.
The WHO also say red meat is probably a cause of bowel cancer. But, red meat also contains protein and nutrients such as B vitamins, iron and zinc that are good for you. So, there is a balance between the benefits of eating red meat and the risks of developing cancer. Government healthy-eating guidelines recommend people eat no more than 100g of red meat a day. So, eating red meat in moderation is fine.
If you think you would like to cut down on processed and red meats and reduce your risk, here are some tips:
To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.
We're with you every step of the way
The Macmillan team is here to help. Our cancer support specialists can answer your questions, offer support, or simply listen if you need a chat. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00.
Comments? Feel free to add them below (you need to be logged in).
Keep in touch Follow Macmillan’s cancer information team on Twitter @mac_cancerinfo
