Processed meats cause cancer, says WHO

“It’s hard to know whether it will affect what people actually eat”, Liebman said.

The meat industry is working hard to make sure that it doesn’t. “They tortured the data to fit what their preconceived notion was”.

Meat industry groups rejected the findings as simplistic, although a few scientists said they may not add much to existing health recommendations to limit consumption of such meat.

Cancer Research United Kingdom said this was a reason to cut down rather than give up red and processed meats. On Monday, the group hailed the IARC report.

“We usually eat chicken anyway, so we probably still won’t purchase it. I don’t feed my daughter hot dogs anyway, I kind of expect that stuff, like, and it’s processed right?”

The evaluation revealed “strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect” for red meat consumption – mainly for cancer of the colon and rectum, but also the pancreas and prostate, said the agency based in Lyon, France.

That is in contrast to one million deaths from cancer caused by smoking and 600,000 attributed to alcohol each year.

While the study concludes that this is a small risk, the chances to get cancer go up if more processed or red meats are eaten more frequently.

“Red meat such as beef and lamb is a critical, natural source of iron and zinc, vitamin B12 and omega-3 – essential nutrients needed to keep the body and brain functioning well”, the statement read.

The World Health Organization researchers defined processed meat as anything transformed to improve its flavor or to preserve it, including sausages, canned meat, beef jerky and anything smoked. But he recommended that governments and global regulatory agencies conduct assessments to balance the risks and benefits of eating red meat and processed meat and to provide the best possible dietary recommendations.

Studies show that meat processing techniques and cooking it at high temperatures can lead to the formation of carcinogenic chemicals.

Analysis of 10 of the studies suggested that a 50-gram portion of processed meat daily – or about 1.75 ounces – increases the risk of colorectal cancer over a lifetime by about 18 percent. The review places processed meat in the same cancer-causing category as tobacco; however, the IARC did not compare the items within the group. It means that while a positive link has been observed, there could be other explanations that could not be ruled out. She says the real question is how to convince people to reduce consumption of processed meat.