Skip to main content

Together we are beating cancer

Donate now
  • Health & Medicine

Processed meat and cancer – what you need to know

by Casey Dunlop | Analysis

26 October 2015

262 comments 262 comments

A photo of a cooked breakfast with bacon and sausages.
Processed meat like bacon and sausages can increase cancer risk

This article is more than 3 years old. For a more recent picture, read our latest article on processed and red meat and cancer

You’ve probably seen plenty of headlines about the fact that processed meat has been classified as a ‘definite’ cause of cancer. And red meat is a ‘probable’ cause.

The decision – coordinated by a respected international body – has been so highly anticipated by the media that speculation about the announcement has been building since last week.

But a link between certain types of meat and some forms of cancer – notably bowel cancer – isn’t ‘new’ news – the evidence has been building for decades, and is supported by a lot of careful research.

Nevertheless, today’s announcement is significant. It comes from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – a group of international experts who scrutinise the overall evidence – in this case more than 800 studies – on how likely certain things are to cause cancer. Their decisions carry a lot of clout, especially with governments and regulators.

But what does the finding – published here in the Lancet Oncology – mean in practice? How much meat is it sensible to eat? And how many cases of cancer are linked to meat consumption?

In this post, we’ll look at what IARC’s classification actually means, how red and processed meat affect cancer risk, and the likely size of this effect.

But before we move on, let’s be clear: yes, a prolonged high-meat diet isn’t terribly good for you. But a steak, bacon sandwich or sausage bap a few times a week probably isn’t much to worry about. And overall the risks are much lower than for other things linked to cancer – such as smoking.

What are ‘red’ and ‘processed’ meat?

First, let’s clear up some definitions.

‘Red’ meat is (as you might expect), any meat that’s a dark red colour before it’s cooked –  this obviously means meats like  beef and lamb, but also includes pork.

‘Processed’ meat is meat that’s not sold fresh, but instead has been cured, salted, smoked, or otherwise preserved in some way (so things like bacon, sausages, hot dogs, ham, salami, and pepperoni). But this doesn’t include fresh burgers or mince.

Both of these types of meat are distinct from ‘white’ meats, like fresh chicken or turkey, and fish (neither of which appear to increase your risk of cancer).

The evidence so far…

There’s now a large body of evidence that bowel cancer is more common among people who eat the most red and processed meat. As this evidence has steadily built up, we’ve blogged about it several times – and it’s covered on the NHS Choices website and by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

(There’s also growing evidence for a possible link to both stomach and pancreatic cancers, but this seems to be less clear cut than the link to bowel cancer.)

The most convincing overview of the evidence of a link to bowel cancer comes from a 2011 analysis by researchers at the WCRF, who combined the results of a number of previous studies, to try to get a clear sense of the overall picture.

They were able to group the data according to those who ate the most red and processed meat and those who ate the least. A key finding from the WCRF analysis is that red meat and processed meat aren’t equally harmful: processed meat is more strongly linked to bowel cancer than red meat.

The results showed that those who ate the most processed meat had around a 17 per cent higher risk of developing bowel cancer, compared to those who ate the least.

‘17 per cent’ sounds like a fairly big number – but this is a ‘relative’ risk, so let’s put it into perspective, and convert it to absolute numbers. Remember these are all ball-park figures – everyone’s risk will be different as there are many different factors at play.

We know that, out of every 1000 people in the UK, about 61 will develop bowel cancer at some point in their lives. Those who eat the lowest amount of processed meat are likely to have a lower lifetime risk than the rest of the population (about 56 cases per 1000 low meat-eaters).

If this is correct, the WCRF’s analysis suggests that, among 1000 people who eat the most processed meat, you’d expect 66 to develop bowel cancer at some point in their lives – 10 more than the group who eat the least processed meat.

How does red and processed meat cause cancer?

Researchers are still trying to pin down exactly how red and processed meat cause cells to become cancerous, but the main culprits seem to be certain chemicals found in the meat itself.

In red meat, the problems seem to start when a chemical called haem – part of the red pigment in the blood, haemoglobin – is broken down in our gut to form a family of chemicals called N-nitroso compounds. These have been found to damage the cells that line the bowel, so other cells in the bowel lining have to replicate more in order to heal. And it’s this ‘extra’ replication that can increase the chance of errors developing in the cells’ DNA – the first step on the road to cancer.

On top of this, processed red meats contain chemicals that generate N-nitroso compounds in the gut, such as nitrite preservatives.

Cooking meat at high temperatures, such as grilling or barbequing, can also create chemicals in the meat that may increase the risk of cancer. These chemicals are generally produced in higher levels in red and processed meat compared to other meats.

But there are other theories too – some research has suggested that the iron in red meat could play a role, while others suggest the bacteria in the gut might play a supporting role too.

So despite what you may hear, it isn’t about the quality of the meat, or whether it’s from the local butcher or your supermarket. The evidence so far suggests that it’s probably the processing of the meat, or chemicals naturally present within it, that increases cancer risk.

What does this decision from IARC mean?

Whatever the underlying mechanism, there’s now sufficient evidence for IARC to rule that  processed meat ‘definitely’ causes cancer, and that red meat ‘probably’ causes cancer. But to really understand what this means (and doesn’t mean), you need to know a bit about IARC’s categories.

When IARC assesses the evidence on a particular cancer risk, it assigns it to one of several groups, which – as the graphic below shows – represent how confident they are that it causes cancer in people.

Infographic of red and processed meat risk

Copy this link and share our graphic. Credit: Cancer Research UK

Processed meat has been classified as a ‘definite’ cause of cancer (or Group 1 carcinogen) – the same group that includes smoking and alcohol. And red meat is a ‘probable’ cause of cancer (or a Group 2a carcinogen) – the same group as shift work. While this may sound alarming, it’s important to remember that these groups show how confident IARC is that red and processed meat cause cancer, not how much cancer they cause.

As we wrote when we covered a previous IARC decision on diesel emissions, and interviewed one of our experts in the causes of cancer:

As Professor Phillips explains, “IARC does ‘hazard identification’, not ‘risk assessment’.

“That sounds quite technical, but what it means is that IARC isn’t in the business of telling us how potent something is in causing cancer – only whether it does so or not”, he says.

To take an analogy, think of banana skins. They definitely can cause accidents, explains Phillips, but in practice this doesn’t happen very often (unless you work in a banana factory). And the sort of harm you can come to from slipping on a banana skin isn’t generally as severe as, say, being in a car accident.

But under a hazard identification system like IARC’s, ‘banana skins’ and ‘cars’ would come under the same category – they both definitely do cause accidents.

To put things in perspective, let’s look at how red and processed meat stack up against smoking:

Meat vs tobacco - what's the risk?

Copy this link and share our graphic. Credit: Cancer Research UK

In 2011, scientists estimated that around 3 in every hundred cancers in the UK were due to eating too much red and processed meat (that’s around 8,800 cases every year). This compares against 64,500 cases every year caused by smoking (or 19 per cent of all cancers).

So what does this mean for mealtimes?

Does red and processed meat still have a place in a healthy diet?

None of this means that a single meat-based meal is ‘bad for you’. What it does mean is that regularly eating large amounts of red and processed meat, over a long period of time, is probably not the best approach if you’re aiming to live a long and healthy life. Meat is fine in moderation – it’s a good source of some nutrients such as protein, iron and zinc. It’s just about being sensible, and not eating too much, too often.

So how much is a ‘sensible’ amount of meat? This is a much trickier question to answer. The evidence so far doesn’t point to a particular amount that’s, in terms of cancer risk, likely to be ‘too much’. All we can say is that on the whole, the risk is lower the less you eat. Based on a  range of health considerations, the Government advises people who eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red and/or processed meat a day should cut down to 70g or less.

But what do these portions actually look like?

Copy this link and share our graphic. Credit: Cancer Research UK

So if you’re someone who has a very meaty diet, and you’re worried about cancer, you may want to think about cutting down. That doesn’t mean you need to start stocking up on tofu, unless you want to, it just means trying to eat smaller and fewer portions (by adding in more vegetables, beans and pulses – remember the eatwell plate?), or choosing chicken or fish instead. As we said above, there’s no strong evidence linking fresh white meats such as chicken, turkey, or fish to any types of cancer.

So our advice on diet stays the same: eat plenty of fibre, fruit and vegetables; cut back on red and processed meat, and salt; and limit your alcohol intake. It might sound boring but it’s true: healthy living is all about moderation.

Except for smoking: that’s always bad for you.

Casey Dunlop is a health information officer at Cancer Research UK

    Comments

  • Chris Wellburn
    22 April 2016

    I lost my husband to pancreatic cancer last year. He was a smoker and also ate bacon, sausages and processed ham. I’ve thought for a long time that these foods were like ‘plastic’ and don’t eat any of them. I prefer to have proper meat and cook it from there. So it looks like I was correct in my thinking. I also worry about heated plastics which some of our takeaway food is heated in and the use of cling film over our food.

  • Katie
    21 April 2016

    I would love to hear more about the research being done into the microbiome and the cancer risks from red or processed meat. I read the study that you link to here and I have seen other studies, but I wondered if you have an article with an overview into this? That would be amazing.

  • CLP
    11 April 2016

    You don’t want bowel cancer, it’s a hell on earth existence. You just die a long painful death. It’s not fast like a heart attack.

  • Jan Claire
    8 April 2016

    So what they’re telling us is we can only eat peanut butter?

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    Breakfast no sauasage no bacon don’t sell meat if it will cause cancer

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    Cancer that one

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    This is my opinion your so wrong what veggies gonna cause cancer

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    Your wrong meat dosent cause cancer you want me to fill my feezer with only ham chicken and Turkey yay right

  • Hasse Karlgreen
    23 March 2016

    The cancer has various types like mouth cancer, blood cancer and lung cancer. Smoking cigarette is the big reason behind mouth cancer and lung cancer. Smoking affects our mouth as well as lungs.

  • Austin
    21 March 2016

    I’d rather enjoy delicious meats and die early than live my life as a vegetarian or a vegan. But that’s just me.

  • Anderson Sweden
    2 March 2016

    Cigarette smoking is responsible for nearly 90% of all lung cancer cases identified and diagnosed. Lung cancer isn’t the one health complication you need to be concerned if you are a smoker. There are more than a handful of other related diseases that are triggered and it’s all a matter of time before it starts to take a toll on the body. So its better to keep yourself away from smoking as much as possible. Thanks for the blog and sharing the causes of cancer with us.

  • Ginette Carter
    10 February 2016

    Interesting. How about not using nitrate in curing, just using regular pickling salt? Also this analysis does not reflect that chicken, all poultry and eastern, Atlantic salmon and wild trout have some of the highest Inflammation Index amongst food. Not everyone suffers from cancer, but a lot more of us suffer from multiple forms of inflammations like arthritis, most chronic problems, allergies, digestion Issues, etc etc…. Documentation? read Dr. Chilton’s research on food caused Inflammation.
    .

  • Gaynor merchant
    6 February 2016

    Reaching adulthood I have always been of the opinion that meat is bad for you, and do not eat it. I eat lots of bean sprouts, veg and fruit, nuts and seeds. After all you are eating rotting animal corpses.

  • Luis
    15 January 2016

    Excellent! The best page I found until now on this subject.

  • Tiho
    12 January 2016

    Thank you very much indeed

  • raven nightmare
    8 January 2016

    this really scary and to think i love to eat bacon and other meat

  • JackCamps
    30 December 2015

    This is true unfortunately. Nowadays there is no health food expect vegies (from small local market), where people doesn’t have money to buy pesticides.

  • anj
    28 December 2015

    The article is not direct to the point. Hs making the article long…

  • Jeff Smart
    28 December 2015

    The author of this article has excluded some information from IARC or WHO or whoever actually does the research. This is just someone regurgitating facts. Someone with a huge biased against smoking. It would be interesting to see the damage of One cigarette per day versus a 250+/- gram meat intake per day. You can’t spout off about moderation but only when it fits your argument. Point is, it makes your argument less credible when you aren’t acting like a professional. The whole part about there only being 10 less deaths from people eating the least amount of meats. Give your head a shake. Compare those numbers to vegans before this can ever become a worthy statistic. I’ll borrow some of the authors logic: its like saying there’s only 10 less deaths among people Who only smoke 15 cigarettes a day, compared to those Who smoke 20. Get it?

  • Dr Kovacs
    17 December 2015

    Hi, I was just wondering why you have disabled the comments on your most popular thread “10 Cancer Myths Debunked”?

  • Marius
    12 December 2015

    all you guys who are embarased for reduced diet are “stupid“ u england people and america eat so much meet and u are over half people very fat, this is very wrong and dangerous, if u reduced the meet in your meel is healty for you! sry for my english!

  • Vik
    29 November 2015

    Absolute eye opener,”Save the Mankind”

  • david beeson
    28 November 2015

    you seem to be trivializing cancer risk and diet! shame on you guys!!!!

  • Ronke shadare
    25 November 2015

    If that’s what research has proven so we limit the consumption of meat or total avoidance. What does it have to do with age

  • Dale
    23 November 2015

    It says processed meats cause cancer, but it doesn’t show pictures of processed white meat (chicken, turkey). Why doesn’t the research limit its claim to say “processed red meats cause cancer” OR specify the difference in cancer probability between processed white meats and processed red meats? This is surprisingly “sloppy” notification from the WHO. Say what you mean, WHO!

  • Salwa Hamouda
    20 November 2015

    It is very good in explanation of cause for cancer ,and how to avoide it by reducing or cancel the processed meat and red meat .

  • SANDRA KNIGHT
    15 November 2015

    Having read the article it has given me more of an insight into the subject and made me rethink my eating habits which cannot be a bad thing.

  • Richard
    13 November 2015

    An excellent article that clarifies the information by removing the hysteria and hype generated around it by the media. Thankyou.

  • Luc
    13 November 2015

    Why no mention that the salicylates ( Aspirin ) , vitamin C and other nutrients in organic vegetables largely reverses these risks from nitrosamines?? But there isn’t much salicylate in non-organically produced vegetables, so probably wise to take low-dose aspirin supplement daily.
    And in the case of barbequed food, just turn the food frequently to allow cooking but limit charing also reduces the risks. Similar risks also present in all baked or toasted carbs.

  • Pat
    12 November 2015

    VERY clearly explained. I liked the ‘little people’ illustration.

  • Susan thomad
    10 November 2015

    Written in wonderful simple easy to understand English. Thank you

  • Margaret
    10 November 2015

    Excellent information saying not to panic but cut down on some meats.

  • Fran
    10 November 2015

    Excellent article – explained everything clearly including the stats behind the risks.

  • Rod Naylor
    10 November 2015

    I still find it confusing. Why are sausages seen as processed, but burgers are not? Surely it just depends how each one is made?

  • Grace
    9 November 2015

    “fresh chicken or turkey, and fish (neither of which appear to increase your risk of cancer)” Not according to The China Study and the associated documentary Forks over Knives.

  • Peter Gagg
    9 November 2015

    I would have liked to know what the research says about ‘processed’ fish. eg Salmon, Kippers, Haddock, Cod etc.

  • Steve
    8 November 2015

    Good info, well presented

  • Sue Ashworth
    8 November 2015

    I found this a really clear and helpful article to clarify the shock/horror headlines. Thank you – great to read things in plain English

  • Margaret Carter
    8 November 2015

    Excellent article

  • Mark BurkittMark
    8 November 2015

    I understood that haem iron reacts with peroxides formed from polyunsaturated vegetable oils during cooking, forming radicals and – ultimately – cytotoxic carbonyls. For this reason, I always advise against eating red meat with food fried in vegetable oils. The formation of nitrosamines is a separate mechanism, occurring primarily in meats to which nitrites have been added (i.e. processed meats). The case against eating processed meats is far stronger than that against red meats.

  • Marc
    7 November 2015

    I just wonder, why is smoking *always* bad for you? Why isn’t it OK to smoke – say – one cigarette a day, just like it would be fine to eat red meat only a week?

  • Toks
    7 November 2015

    Very informative and easily understood by the non- scientific reader. However a bit patronising and cagey in its conclusions.

  • Neil
    7 November 2015

    Excellent, but a little concerned about an alternative sandwich filling being tuna! From much of the info. available on fish and fish products there is an issue with heavy metals and plastics in the food chain. So keeping consumption of fish on the low side may also be useful.
    Anything wrong with cheese? – apart from cholesterol.

  • Andrew
    7 November 2015

    Hmm I think that meat consumption itself doesn’t cause cancer. The lifestyles of the people that eat lots of fry ups and burgers etc and generally don’t look after themselves is the cause. To start scare mungering like this is unforgivable. Quick let’s all give more money to researchers so they can tell us the obvious.

  • Maryann Debattista
    7 November 2015

    Thanks, this info is really clear and helpful.

  • Ann Cocks
    6 November 2015

    A very helpful article But I’m still confused about sausages! There is a massive difference between frankfurters, salami, chorizo and that kind of sausage when compared to fresh traditional English style sausages from a good butcher made from fresh meat with no artificial flavours or preservatives or even good quality supermarket sausages. How can they be compared with sausages made from cured or smoked meats? The meat in butchers’ sausages is simply finely minced just as in fresh burgers or mince which you do not classify as “processed”

  • Brian Luckwell
    6 November 2015

    i wish Headliners would not produce scares, it does not help any producer or eater. all things in moderation, My steak eating is around two a month, and certainly I am not a daily cooked breakfast eater, possible twice a week. Researchers shoule modify their findings.

  • Julie Bradbury
    6 November 2015

    Excellent. It provides a readily understandable balanced view and provides practical guidance to improve your diet and reduce the risk of bowel cancer

  • Alan Rhodes
    6 November 2015

    Thank you for sending me this information,I will pass it on to as many friends and family
    I will tell them to pass it on to there friends and family,

  • Pam
    6 November 2015

    A really helpful article that gives clear facts and guidelines. I shall endeavour to pass it on to friends and family who are still confused by the recent reports. Thank you very much indeed. Pam.

  • Richard
    6 November 2015

    Great article, thank you! It would be really helpful to know if processed fish are also considered carcinogenic. For example smoked haddock / tinned tuna etc as my simple mind would say there are probably similar preservation processes involved…

  • John Blakeley
    6 November 2015

    A very clear and helpful article. Thanks

  • Hayley
    6 November 2015

    Informative and sensibly written article. Thank you

  • Rose H
    6 November 2015

    Very useful information and practical tips. Thank you

  • Peter
    6 November 2015

    Very informative and useful, there needs to be more of this sensible approach about eating, not just headlines, as these turn people off ,just another scare headline

  • Kay Loten
    6 November 2015

    What a comprehensive, understandable article. Really informative.

  • Ronald Thompson
    6 November 2015

    it was very helpful and informative

  • Suzy M
    6 November 2015

    What a shame so many people will not get to read this and still panic. My niece has given up sausages and bacon ( she’s 9 ) The media coverage scared her not informed her to make the choice. Hopefully explaining this article to her will help her understand.

  • Confused carer
    6 November 2015

    Interesting about fish…. but what about processed fish like smoked salmon and smoked mackerel? Are they not affected? What about smoked cheese?. I’d like to see more about the processing bit and how to be clear what meat is processed…. like gammon joints.

  • Jo
    6 November 2015

    Thank you for this article. It was really clear and well explained.

  • ezio laconi
    6 November 2015

    the figures for lung cancer and colon cancer seem wrong to me: in fact, if no-one smoked, you would have a 16% reduction in total cancer burden, while if no-one ate any processed or red meat such reduction would be only 0.6%. The ratio between 16 and 0.6 is 27, while the ratio between your two final figures (64.500 and 8.800) is only 7.

  • maeve
    6 November 2015

    very interesting article and very well explained thankyou.

  • Nigel Holland
    6 November 2015

    Thank you. A very sensible and well explained presentationof the evidence and equally sensible recommendations

  • Ron
    5 November 2015

    very revealing thank you

  • Paul
    5 November 2015

    Excellent and balanced information

  • Katie
    5 November 2015

    Great article easy to understand very informative, thank you.

  • Shane
    5 November 2015

    Awesome infographics and information. Enjoyed reading this thoroughly.

  • Doreen ginger
    5 November 2015

    Have a bacon butty possibly once a month. Only eat red meat twice a week. Don’t do processed meat much at all. Eat more than average fruit and veg…still got bowel cancer.

  • Julie Bamford
    5 November 2015

    very informative.

  • Leigh Farrer
    5 November 2015

    Very informative without being too hard to understand or take in thank you.

  • Mark
    5 November 2015

    What about fatty foods such as chips, cheese and chocolate? What cancer risk do they have?

  • Mike
    5 November 2015

    Does this mean that the government is now going to tax red and processed meat higher to stop us eating them? (Instead of getting at the food companies to stop messing about with the food.)

  • HL
    5 November 2015

    Is offal such as liver, kidney, heart etc classed as red meat here?

  • DezB
    5 November 2015

    “healthy living is all about moderation”. Sums it up perfectly, forget all the doom mongers and the fadists, use your brains and be moderate in your diet.

  • Kathleen
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting article,certainly try to continue eating healthy and maintain exercising. I do have some treats through out the year!

  • Robert Zali
    5 November 2015

    My rule I direct myself after sounds according Paracelsus: ” … there are in the Nature no medicine and no poisons but only doses”.

  • Lara
    5 November 2015

    The inclusion of spaghetti bolognese in the illustration isn’t confusing when you see that the title of the illustration is including red meat. So that is there purely to include some red meat, in this case beef, not processed.

  • judith miller
    5 November 2015

    I have recently started to read this website, I am a health professional and thought the article was very clear, thought provoking without raising too much anxiety. Informative without dumbing down.

  • Kate
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article but earlier in the text you say mince isn’t classed as a processed meat but later in the graphic you include spaghetti bolognese – which is a bit confusing!

  • Clare
    5 November 2015

    Amazing. Thank you. It’s hard to know what’s behind the headlines, and what a statistic like 17%increase means without the ancillary data. Increasing information helps us all live a healthier life

  • Mrs Marion king
    5 November 2015

    I think u are trying to be God, l’m now getting to the point, there’s nothing u won’t leave alone, as l’m hope to get to remission next ?year as l had lung cancer so enough is enough !!!!!

  • Nigel Platts
    5 November 2015

    This is a most helpful article – last week’s newspapers were hysterical on this piece of news (which was pretty well known for many years in any event) and a calm recitation of the facts is very welcome. Of course it makes sense not to eat too much red and/or processes meat but it is good to have advice based on common sense not hyperbole.

  • Tony
    5 November 2015

    Why are Pork Chops for instance classed as Red Meat. They are not Red in colour and taste so good when roasted

  • barbara rosenthal
    5 November 2015

    Clear unequivocal information, easily accessed

  • Lynn Childs
    5 November 2015

    Thank you. Very sensible, non alarmist advice.

  • Lisa Large
    5 November 2015

    Interesting and well-explained article. Thank you for presenting the facts so that we can adjust our diet. What about home -cooked gammon/ ham?

  • Sandy Bullivant
    5 November 2015

    As someone who hand makes sausages and bacon, the biggest problem is not the products themselves but the excessive amounts of nitrite based preservatives used by commercial producers to extend shelf life. Sausages have been made and consumed for thousands of years. It is the greed of the major commercial producers that is damaging health. If are concerned about the content of sausages get a mincer/sausage stuffer attachment for you mixer and have a go at making your own: It’s huge fun and very satisfying.

  • Jane
    5 November 2015

    I think your articles and graphics are clearly and attractively presented. You seem to have the patience of saints and I don’t know how you better present all this information.

  • Phil Cocks
    5 November 2015

    Good article, but I still have a question. You say chicken and fish are not included but what about smoked fish or barbequed chicken?

  • Gordon Egerton
    5 November 2015

    A wonderfully clear and balanced article. It is always a shame about headlines; this was very reassuring.

  • Pip
    5 November 2015

    Excellent graphics. Puts the points across clearly.

  • David East
    5 November 2015

    The article is very useful. What I find annoying is that ingredients on the packaging are often numerous, and I find it hard to understand why so many ingredients are necessary. Added to this is the fact that lots of ingredients appear to be chemicals and a lot of ingredients mean absolutely nothing to me. Is it possible that some ingredients include things that are caused by the processing of the meat? – I ask myself. I am not aware of anything that is published for general public use, to explain all the terms that arise in this connection. I wonder whether it is only cancer that we should concern ourselves with in connection with red and processed meat.

  • Margaret Broughton
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting and well worth “digesting”

  • Sally Jolley
    5 November 2015

    Excellent reading. So simple to follow thank you

  • Sally Jolley
    5 November 2015

    Excellent reading. So simple to follow thank you for explaining in such detail

  • Sarah O'Connor
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article. Very clear and concise

  • Victoria
    5 November 2015

    Loved the banana analogy! Very easy to read and understand, definitely calms me down after hearing all the horror stories about meat in the news

  • Jammie
    5 November 2015

    Bruce G hit the nail right on the head.
    Really good article.

  • Des Pedlow
    5 November 2015

    An excellent article and very thought provoking, except perhaps to smokers; if they thought about their health they would quit.

  • Bruce G
    5 November 2015

    An excellent, clearly written and non-sensationalistic article.
    Shame the media can’t report facts in the same way.
    Keep up the good work!

  • Lavinia Shan
    5 November 2015

    It just goes to show you have to look ‘behind the headlines’ to get the truth. Isn’t it back to everything in moderation? Thanks for a great article.

  • Dapo
    5 November 2015

    Brilliant article, absolutely brilliant – very clear and precise. Thanks you very much!

  • Chris
    5 November 2015

    Understandably smoking is always the bad guy but what about e-cigarettes? Is there any risk with inhaling vaporized nicotine?

  • Atam
    5 November 2015

    Very good

  • Marion Mackenzie
    5 November 2015

    This is really helpful and has explained it all much better than the frightening stories that the media were putting out! I don’t eat much red meat anyway, once possibly twice a wk max so hopefully I’m doing the right thing.

  • Christine Harris
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article – clearly presented and easy to assimilate.

  • Mabdie
    5 November 2015

    Interesting to have this put in context. Sensible, understandable advice.

  • Betty Wilkins
    5 November 2015

    Very informative and interesting. Your diagrams are very helpful in showing just how processed and red meat can be bad for you.

  • marianne tracey
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting. Thank you for the information. Certainly very helpful.

  • Sue Waller
    5 November 2015

    Really helpful analysis! It removes the tendency to think that the findings on red & processed meats are just another scare story which could be reversed later eg. butter is bad, then butter is better than low fat spreads. It’s a real help to read a balanced and sensible approach to diet, and to help make the figures clearer for the lay person.

  • Heather
    5 November 2015

    Interesting stuff. I will eat less red meat

  • Maria Twist
    5 November 2015

    I have found this very useful. I have already cut down a lot on red meat and rarely eat processed meat , except on holiday as a treat! so I may be on the right track anyway.

  • Stephanie Shevlin
    5 November 2015

    Thank you! Statistics were explained properly and it was a genuinely useful article. Although I don’t think my intake is very high anyway I’ll bear it in mind from now on when planning my meals!

  • Victoria Clark
    5 November 2015

    Extremely helpful and balanced information.

  • Caroline
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting & informative

  • Penny Anderson
    5 November 2015

    Very helpful and well explained article which gives facts without the the sensationalism of the media articles.

  • Paul McNeil
    5 November 2015

    Saying “substitue Ham for Chicken or Tuna” means eat Ham instead of Chicken or Tuna, you probably meant to say the reverse. Words are important, and so is grammar if you don’t want to confuse people.

  • D J Clay
    5 November 2015

    Very helpful and interesting

  • D J Clay
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting and helpful

  • Robert Walsh
    5 November 2015

    What about smoked salmon, mackerel, herring, other fish?

  • biologyteacher
    5 November 2015

    An interesting, well written article, thank you.
    As I read it, the lowest risk of developing bowel cancer is 56/1000 people in those who eat the lowest amount of meat (but what about vegetarians, or are they included in this group?).
    The average risk for all people (eating however much meat) is that 61/1000 develop bowel cancer.
    If eating the highest amount of red meat adds on 17% more risk of getting bowel cancer, compared to the lowest meat eating group, then an extra 17% of the lowest group 56/1000 get cancer = 1.17 x 56 = 66 rounded up.

    So moving to a high meat diet means:
    a) 10 extra people get bowel cancer compared to the lowest meat eating group, i.e. 56 to 66 people/1000
    This is an extra 10 out of a 1000 people, i.e. 1%, compared to the 3% risk in 2011, and not as dramatic as 17% sounds.
    b) 5 extra people get bowel cancer compared to the average risk, i.e. 61 to 66/1000 people. This is 5 extra people in a thousand, which is an increase of 0.5% people.

    Using natural frequencies is better, the range of bowel cancer rates in low and high meat eating groups is from 56 to 66 out of a 1000 people. The headline would be: “Eating the highest amount of red and processed meat, increases the risk of bowel cancer in an extra 10 out of a thousand people.”

  • Gerard Fleming
    5 November 2015

    This is an excellent explanation of the science behind the classification and goes a very long way to give clear and balanced advice for a healthier lifestyle , which is far from the media sensationalist and frightening reporting of the findings.

  • requiredname
    5 November 2015

    wow , eat a balanced diet. Really ground breaking stuff.

  • Lyndsay
    5 November 2015

    That last comment meant to say “natural” not “beaches” autocorrect!

  • Lyndsay
    5 November 2015

    This is not healthy. Future reading needs to be done. There has been multiple studies done to show how unhealthy meat. We shouldn’t be eating any meat or dairy in our diet. It’s not beaches say, it doesn’t belong there. Our limit for cholesterol is 0mg a day. All meat and dairy contains more than that. Please do some research before attempting to call me out on this. I’m not saying it to preach I’m saying it because I care about people and I don’t want them to get sick. Meat is bad for you. You can get all your nutrients off plant-based sources and they are still satisfying and they taste great. If people have sensible, respectful questions then I’d be happy to answer. Read the China study for a start there’s some great documentaries on YouTube too. Much love.

  • J Carole Dixon
    5 November 2015

    I think this is a very interesting report. Headlines in newspapers are scary and people tell others and it gets out of proportion. Thank you for this scientific report to clarify the situation.

  • Alan
    5 November 2015

    Why the dismissive reference to tofu? Maybe better to extol its virtues in its many and flavoursome guises rather than use it as a threat to people’s diets.

  • Richard Jardine
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting findings and good to have a Prof put it into context with the banana skin analogy. Would like to know if this also includes liver (perhaps as a Group 2 meat item) as it is high in haem which of course gives it the benefit of being Iron rich and is often recommended for people with iron deficiencies – should this advice be adjusted?

  • Poldo
    5 November 2015

    Does “processed meat” include also white processed meat or is it only red processed meat?

  • Maureen Elder
    5 November 2015

    Very useful information and very much appreciated.

  • Clarissa Hanna
    5 November 2015

    This is a most wonderfully clear and balanced explanation, serious without being over alarming and te graphics are really helpful. I will be passing this on to my grown up children..

  • Rob
    5 November 2015

    Surely the 100g of minced beef is not in the same “harmful” league as the processed bacon, sausages and ham – but seems to count equally in the 70g daily advised limit.
    As the curing process is likely to be the problem in meats, how does this affect say smoked fish?

  • Roger
    5 November 2015

    As you say, this message is nothing new. It was back in the 80s I think that I first heard about nitrites in cured meats and food processes such as smoking being a possible cause of cancer. But, it’s just hit the headlines and the differentiation between “cause” and “risk” has of course been blurred. An excellent blog that I’ll keep and forward on. Well done.

  • Amy
    5 November 2015

    Thank you for this, it has really helped get the risk into a sensible perspective. I’m still not sure about sliced chicken and turkey that you buy in deli section of the supermarket – another article I read implied that this may have been treated similarly and therefore may also pose a risk. Can you clarify?

  • Anne Bellhouse
    5 November 2015

    Very informative, well illustrated. Measured advice – cannot be thought to be scaremongering.

  • Karen Ambler
    5 November 2015

    I liked and understood the analogy of the banana skin and the illustrations were very illuminating. I also thought that the portion illustration was very effective and I will be following it.

  • Laura
    5 November 2015

    Very useful information and well written. This has certainly clarified a lot of the issues around meat consumption. Thanks for presenting it so clearly.

  • Eunice LI Dan Yue
    5 November 2015

    What about ham that are sliced on the spot, those we got from the ham counter; and not those pre-packed ones? Does it still cause bowel cancer? Are the risks still the same?

  • Tom Houston
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article. Found it very informative.

  • d sheard
    5 November 2015

    A very well-produced summary and much more balanced than much of the mainstream media coverage.
    It is important to remember that we are born, we live and we die. The key is to have a good life and, with luck, a good death.
    Too many people focus on the length of our lives, rather than the quality of life we live.

  • Laurie
    5 November 2015

    Great – a balanced and rational view makes a nice change from the usual media sensationalism! Just waiting patiently now for the vegan evangelists to invade this post with their quasi-religious approach as per…

  • Sue
    2 November 2015

    If eating red meat is dangerous what does someone (like myself) do when they are allergic to vegetables and a lot of fruit? Eat pills?

  • Matt Baker
    2 November 2015

    thanks for this, I enjoyed reading some expert analysis, rather than the confusion in the newspapers. One query i have in all of this – what is the impact of smoked fish and turkey on the incidence of cancers? is the meat the issue or the smoking process?

  • Mary Lewton
    2 November 2015

    I believe meat is a big factor in cancer. any processed meats to.

  • Aries
    1 November 2015

    Chicken? What about Chicken Sausages…also processed meat… but white…

  • Denise
    31 October 2015

    The problem may lie in the animal feed as well as in the post production plastic packaging maybe stop spaying the crops with pesticides It seems that no matter what we eat now ends up giving us cancer of some sort remember joe jackson song everything give s you cancer

  • Ragnar Szczepaniak
    30 October 2015
  • John
    30 October 2015

    I think we should all enjoy the one life we have – If I listened to every piece of health advice I would never go anywhere, eat anything or enjoy life in anyway, shape or form…
    So, I am going to have a bacon sandwich, glass of wine, burger, can of coke, steak or large double G&T whenever I feel like – and you know why…
    Because I understand moderation….

  • Al Shaw
    30 October 2015

    Thanks for a helpful article.

    If “haem” is possibly implicated in the process, is there any evidence that might indicate a reduced risk on the part of red meat eaters when such meat has had the blood removed from it (as far as is practicable, e.g. by the Jewish melihah method of slaughter and preparation)?

  • Duke
    30 October 2015

    You say , “All we can say is that on the whole, the risk is lower the less (meat) you eat.” Then go on to say , eat in moderation. So we should assume those people will get extra cancer risk in moderation. Enabler.

  • Andy
    30 October 2015

    So smoking and processed/red meat cause 22% of all cancers…. So what causes the other 78%?

  • Gui
    30 October 2015

    For Peter Hill below:

    EPIC study:
    http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/63

    Conclusions
    The results of our analysis support a moderate positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality, in particular due to cardiovascular diseases, but also to cancer.
    Keywords: diet; meat; mortality; cohort; Europe; cardiovascular; cancer

  • Aron
    29 October 2015

    Hey just wanted to notify you… I tried to take the survey from the popup and it was broken. Should look into that.

    But great article, I like how level headed its written instead of trying to blow everything out of proportion like soooo many others.

  • Linda Sutton
    29 October 2015

    I’d like to have an ikon to share to facebook directly. Have to do by taking the url and entering.

  • Bob
    29 October 2015

    Keep in mind that this is a correlation study. It did not even control for variable such as smoking and exercise. That`s right, a study about cancer did not take into consideration whether or not the individuals who ate meat smoked. Give me a break.

  • carina62
    29 October 2015

    What about countries like Italy, Spain, Germany etc who consume a lot of processed meats?

  • Lee
    29 October 2015

    Nice and clear apart from one point: you say it doesn’t include mince, then include mince in your ‘bad meat’ diagram (spaghetti bolognese)? It this all confusing to you too then?

  • Peter Hill
    29 October 2015

    Association does not prove causality. Then there is the meaty matter of confounding. The very large EPIC study (>455000 participants) that looked at red and processed meat in cancer and CVD found red meat ‘not guilty’ (after adjustment for error) and processed meat ‘guilty’…but only in current and ex-smokers. Perhaps the it’s the smoking and not the processed meat? Peter Hill, PhD

  • John
    29 October 2015

    Loved this article, thanks so much for the entirety of it, and you are awesome. But. BUT. If you EVER suggest adding extra veggies or, god forbid, BEANS to a bolognese, I will cut you, ese.

  • Polymath
    28 October 2015

    China Study has been widely debunked as TCC selected results that supported his Theseus and ignored results that refuted it. This book went on to make TCC millions of dollars. When challenged on the fact he ignore opposing results his response was simply that “his reputation spoke for itself” and that as such he had no intention of answering for his omissions in the final text. In other words, he wrote a book to appeal to a vegan fad and made millions. THAT speaks for itself.

  • FashionFan
    28 October 2015

    According to Dr. T. Colin Campbell, director of the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted, the China Project, and professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, animal proteins are the prime carcinogen in meat and dairy products. He has found that “human studies also support this carcinogenic effect of animal protein, even at usual levels of consumption. … No chemical carcinogen is nearly so important in causing human cancer as animal protein.” Not surprisingly, two large studies of vegetarians in Germany and another in England found that vegetarians were about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer than their meat-eating counterparts.

  • Brian Nelson
    28 October 2015

    Has this author never heard of the work of Drs. Esselstyn or Campbell on the question of whether meat is “good” for us? They’ve been trying to tell us this for decades but we’ve been too busy ruining both our health and the planet to listen.

    “The evidence so far doesn’t point to a particular amount that’s, in terms of cancer risk, likely to be ‘too much’.” Dr. Campbell recommends less than 5% of one’s diet to be animal-based (not just meat). Check out any of his books…watch “Forks Over Knives”…it’s out there.

  • Son
    28 October 2015

    I wonder what the bowel cancer rates are in countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal where hams and processed meats abound?

  • Peter Styles
    28 October 2015

    With regards to the recent release of study results that show that an over abundance of red or processed meats in the diet might have a negative reaction on the human body, it is amazing that the World Health Organization should come to the same conclusion as any dietitian on any street corner, or in fact by the “fat Kid” in Jr. High. This is a waste of funds which I am sure can be better utilized elsewhere. Helping homeless puppies for example.

    It is a shame that a formerly respected organization such as this should spend hard earned credibility in attempting to denigrate established family industries such as farming, with “warnings” that suggest that a lack of moderation in anything might have a negative impact on a low number of individuals. WHO, lending their name to scientific findings in the past has also lent a great deal of weight to the efforts of scientists throughout the world. Efforts of this nature, now make such judgments a joke!

  • DocMills
    28 October 2015

    @Henry Scowcroft

    You highlight the problem with the IARC report (and this article). What exactly do the terms ‘processed meat’ and ‘sausage’ mean?

    In much of the research, which underpins IARC’s analysis, processed meat refers to preserved meat (typically nitrite-salted) and ‘sausage’ refers ‘red sausage’ or specific sausage types such as salami.

    However, some studies, such the Europe-wide EPIC project, classify processed meat as any transformed meat – including fresh sausages, meatballs, beef burgers (contrary to your article) and paté!

    The IARC report includes research from both camps. I’m not sure how the IARC scientists dealt with this conflict in terms of evidence, but the IARC definition of processed meat definitely tends towards the first ‘preserved meat’ version.

    Unhelpfully, the IARC definition also includes ‘sausages’, however, in most western countries (and on the International IARC committee too, I suspect) ‘sausage’ refers to red sausages, such as salami and frankfurters.

    So I feel that my claim is valid – UK fresh meat sausages are not ‘processed meat’.

  • Sandra
    28 October 2015

    Well written, easy to understand, gives excellent advice.

  • Gretchen Stanton
    28 October 2015

    Very clearly explained and understandable graphics. It would be nice to see more scientific issues explained so well.

  • Vanessa Harvey
    28 October 2015

    Very helpful and sensible article.

  • Penina Sarah
    28 October 2015

    I agree that any amount of processed meat, despite the flavor, is no good for you, and red meat in general, is not good, either. Sodium nitrate is a carcinogen, sodium nitrite I understand is 4 times as potent a carcinogen, and sodium erythrobate is also a risk. These would be problematic even if in white meats such as turkey or chicken, and I even try to avoid them in small amounts in smoked fish.

  • Dave
    28 October 2015

    From the article: “None of this means that a single meat-based meal is ‘bad for you’.”

    Actually that’s exactly what it means. Saying this is like arguing that a single cigarette isn’t bad for you.

    In fact, according to these numbers, eating a serving of red or processed meat is probably somewhat comparable to smoking a single cigarette, in terms of risk. Your average cigarette smoker doesn’t light up just once per day, the average is around 12 times.

  • Ruth
    28 October 2015

    Excellent article and after a history of bowel cancer in our family, great to have some guidelines to follow.

  • Pearl
    28 October 2015

    So all European countries that eat processed meats must be warned!

  • david
    28 October 2015

    “We know that, out of every 1000 people in the UK, about 61 will develop bowel cancer at some point in their lives. ”

    I believe the rate is 61 out of 100,000. Not 61 out of 1,000.

  • Ken
    28 October 2015

    Last time I checked . bacon was cured not processed. So since meat rafting has been around since the dawn of man. You would think that by now cancer would have reduced the population dramatically. Well that’s not happened. Why don’t you put this research right next to the pile of paper on global climate change. What a bunch of bunk. Nowshowus the financials on the funding for your research. Bet that shows more facts.

  • Kevin
    28 October 2015

    They can have my bacon when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

  • Walker Rowe
    28 October 2015

    Here in Chile eating meat is a cultural event. It’s called a barbecue, but the word is not the same as the English. It’s a weekend activity where all you eat is meat, all of it red, and enormous quantities of that. Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay all are ranked in the top 10 with regards to red meat consumption. Don’t know about everyone else but I am going to continue eat it only occasionally.

  • dougfinn
    28 October 2015

    Mae, you’re absolutely right. If we all had a little more respect for the life around us, we might all be a lot healthier. What comes around comes around.

  • Gabriel
    28 October 2015

    Eat more eggs!! Great protein…gram for gram!

  • Robbie
    27 October 2015

    If you’re smoking, Jo jarvis, why are you even reading this?

  • Dezz Nutz
    27 October 2015

    YOu are an idiot if you believer the findings of the IARC. They TORTURED the evidence to come to the Conclusion THEY wanted.

    The IARC “studied” errr, I mean looked up OTHER peoples studies and drew THEIR OWN Conclusions on 940 different items

    Only one, a chemical found in yoga pants was found not to be carcogenic (in their opinon) at all.

    See this is what happen WHEN POLITICAL Groups (NOT SCIENCE GROUPS) release findings to cheering throngs of mainstream media types, many, who have an agenda

  • Rex
    27 October 2015

    what about kangaroo meat? Supposed to be a leaner, healthier red meat- I wonder how it compares to beef etc. But yes, moderation, the First Nations peoples of Australia wouldn’t eat meat everyday. Also, some people live to their 90’s smoking everyday- I guess some people can eat a lot of red/processed meat ti their 90’s too, it just depends on your genes. But, I like to think anything man-made, whatever it is, like processed meat, is bad for you.

  • Larry Mast
    27 October 2015

    WOW ! Thank you for this info !!!

  • Eric Coopet
    27 October 2015

    Thank you Casey for clarifying this for us. Over here in the US, the media is having a field day with this one.

  • Guadalupe Jácome
    27 October 2015

    For me, as a science teacher in the far southeastern point of Europe, this was very helpful since media are making a mess with the information and raising enormous alarm. I know tomorrow my 12th grade students will ask me about it and I can give them a link to this article and let them judge for themselves (with a little help from me).
    Thank you, this was very clear and I’m sure I’ll be looking for you when other such emergencies happen.

  • Diana
    27 October 2015

    I wish I had an official determination about red meats. Your article (very good) starts saying that red meat is meat that is red. So, why is pork and lamb included in the same sentence. I also wonder about the stats in places like Spain, Italy, Germany were they eat a lot of sauseges. And places like Texas where they eat beef in their 3 meals (grilled). Also places like Argentina were they eat a lot of beef very well cooked ( also grilled). In Puerto Rico a lot of people eat salted cod fish, vienna sausages and processed corned beef as part of the regular diet. How are the stats here in Puerto Rico.

  • Jo Jarvis
    27 October 2015

    Moderation is the best policy, fashions keep changing. I don’t include smoking in this, although it hard to give up as it so addictive.

  • Mae
    27 October 2015

    Stop worrying about whether meat gives you cancer and start worrying about the 70 billion land animals that are killed every year for food. Most of these animals are factory farmed. Day old calves killed so humans can steal their mothers milk, whilst their mothers grieve, chickens kept in cages where they cant move, same with pigs kept in gestation crates for weeks on end (incidentally pigs are three times more intelligent than dogs) Baby pigs castrated without aesthetic – their teeth cut down again without aesthetic. It could be called karma that most of the foods at the worst end of the WHO scale are made from pig corpses – you reap what you sow.. Cows never let out of sheds to graze. I could go on.. Livestock farming is causing massive environmental damage. The blood, urine and faeces from the huge numbers of animals we are killing for food is causing dead zones in our oceans, rainforests are being chopped down at an acre a minute, to grown grain to feed them. Across the world there are water shortages due to animal farming being so water intensive. You should be a lot more worried about the fact that livestock farming is turning this planet into a cess pit. In addition, as livestock farming contributes a minimum of 18% to global warming (more than the whole transport system of the world including planes) We are much more likely to die from a planetary disaster. You may criticise vegans as much as you like but at least we give a s..t . .

  • Bob
    27 October 2015

    If you eat less meat best thing is to supplement caloric intake with fat. More energy per gram and staves off hunger longer.Also fat isn’t broken down to carbohydrates( Too much protein will) which leads to the next problem – replacing meat based proteins with plant based will get you much more carbohydrates and likely kill you with diabetes long before the cancer will.

  • brainiac3397
    27 October 2015

    Life might as well be carcinogenic. Won’t stop me from enjoying it.

  • Starr
    27 October 2015

    What about raising your own meat mean better right. Are talking about all red meat and sauages

  • Brandon
    27 October 2015

    People have been eating these things since forever! Switch to vegetables and we’ll surely have an article on the carcinogenic effects of spinach. Not to trivialize the matter; I’m simply saying that we’re all more than a little over-saturated with dire warnings that tell us we’ll be dying of this, that, or the other thing that we love.

    Certainly, a diet that consists of an over-abundance of red meats cannot be good for you. Nothing new there.

  • Anne-Marie Lavoie
    27 October 2015

    Dr Alain Vadeboncoeur said today on Radio-Canada that an 18% increase means that your risk of getting cancer will go up from 7% to 8.5% or so. It’s not an 18% chance of getting cancer.

  • Michael
    27 October 2015

    It’s a scam like always people I am still going to eat meat.

  • Arnaud Chiolero
    27 October 2015

    Great commentary. It helps understand risk at stake. You should send this article to the IARC.
    Arnaud Chiolero, epidemiologist

  • Liam
    27 October 2015

    Just to try and clarify extra points given some of the comments I’ve read here…

    Red meat is defined as “…unprocessed mammalian muscle meat—for example, beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, or goat meat—including minced or frozen meat” (Bouvard et al., 2015, p. 1).

    Whereas, processed meat is considered to be “…meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation” (Bouvard et al., 2015, p.1).

    The research (although full details have not yet been published to give exact information) is cross cultural including at least: 10 European countries, USA, Japan, Sweden, and Australia.

  • maria guimaraes
    27 October 2015

    very informative post, but i still am confused regarding the definition. beef jerky, smoked turkey breast and salt cod, for example, are processed according to the text i’ve read. but it isn’t mentioned in any news. are they included in the report or not? are the harmful chemicals added to the meat in the process, or are they naturally synthesized by the process itself?

  • Ed
    27 October 2015

    From what I understand; these figures come from the UK. How does the UK compare to other countries with high processed meat consumption like Germany (Sausages) and France (Saucisson)?

    How do these countries compare to low pork diet countries such as Israel and Arab countries? Is there a significantly lower percentage of bowel cancer cases in predominantly Kosher and Halal consumer populations?

    Could you tell me how fresh sausages cause cancer? Mince meat itself is not classed as processed meat so presumably there is no risk associated with fresh sausages in artificial casing (mince meat, herbs and spices). Is it because toxic preservatives are used to prevent bacteria growing on the hog, sheep or beef casings used for sausages? Therefore do you, Cancer research, recommend using artificial casing instead of natural ones, or simply could you suggest a less carcenageic preservative to use?

    Is there another way of curing meat without using Nitroso compounds (Sodium or Potassium Nitrates)? From what I have read the Sodium Nitrites are much less toxic than using saltpeter, are they also less cancerous?

    Final question, you mention that some harmful chemicals are likely to be created in the red meat itself during cooking. Would you therefore recommend eating beef and lamb steaks as rare as possible, because lets face it nobody is going to eat a 50g steak!

  • StewGreen
    27 October 2015

    Why don’t you mention “the burnt toast gives you cancer” meme ?
    Ah, cos despite similar newspaper scare stories the evidence is still very weak ..as you CR.uk point out on your Food controversies page.
    http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/diet-and-cancer/food-controversies#food_controversies7

  • Govegan
    27 October 2015

    Another article trying to find excuses to keep perpetuating bad habits. How can a Foundation that is supposed to work to cure cancer say that a carcinogen level 1 can be taken in moderation!? Lets go drink some plutonium in moderation too… because that is what healthy living is about.. ALL in moderation.

  • Jane harfield
    27 October 2015

    Shoot me now….if it is not one thing it’s another….don’t eat this and don’t eat that ….confused? You will be!

  • FrankieG
    27 October 2015

    What the statistics for countries like Italy,Spain,France and Germany who eat more of these so called processed meat as people live quite a full life as I’m still not convinced,preserving meats has been around for centries.

  • KimBrrr
    27 October 2015

    I’m a bit confused. The article information seems to suggest that nitrites used in smoking are what contributes to cancer because of how they are metabolized in the gut. But at the end, it says to replace ham with chicken because white meats aren’t a risk.

    So, does that mean white *smoked* meats and fish are ok? When we smoke turkey, we simply brine it and smoke it. They cook just as fast as the oven for the most part. But deli chicken and turkey still has nitrites in it. Anything that is slow or cold smoked (like bacon or fish) has to be preserved before smoking otherwise bacteria growth becomes a risk.

    So, home smoked turkey probably ok depending how you do it. But if you buy your turkey slices from scar Mayer, probably not ok. But the article doesn’t really differentiate. So, is white meat with nitrites ok, or no? Is it the red meat interacting with the nitrites that is bad, or the nitrites all together??

  • Perry Neheum
    27 October 2015

    Arby’s. “We STILL have the meats!”

  • Daisy Harris
    27 October 2015

    I don’t understand why a Cancer charity would post an article encouraging people to eat a group 1 carcinogen. You’d never write a blog like this about smoking.

  • ben
    27 October 2015

    Utter hogwash

  • M Roberts
    27 October 2015

    I am confused if the “processing” involves smoking and/ or nitrites why are sausages ,that in the UK use neither ,mentioned ?

  • Ronny Allan
    27 October 2015

    thanks for the great detail, the evidence based approach and the balanced view

  • JANET BENJAMIN
    27 October 2015

    What about the fact that the meat we are eating is cruelly and intensively farmed causing an animal to suffer during its short lifetime, to be pumped full of chemicals and hormones during this growing time? When are we going to recognise the damage that does in addition to your information above, I thank you in advance for reflecting and expanding your explanation. Feel free to contact the charity Compassion in Farming for a more definitive quote.

  • Michael
    27 October 2015

    are you kiddin me??? you are trying to downplay the risk of eating meat. you say: “Our advice on diet stays the same: eat plenty of fibre, fruit and vegetables; cut back on red and processed meat, and salt; and limit your alcohol intake. It might sound boring but it’s true: healthy living is all about moderation.
    Except for smoking: that’s always bad for you.”
    You actually say that, when the whole point of the World Health Organization’s study was to show that processed meat has the SAME risk as smoking cigarettes. The SAME.
    It should bother anyone with a fair amount of intelligence that you’re telling us you to eat (even a small portion) of something that is proven to be in the same health category as asbestos and arsenic.
    Not to mention countless actual studies that have proven time and time again that healthy plant based diets reduce the risk of any illness and help cure them even when its said that they can’t be cured. Oh but that is all bogus right, because that doesn’t bring any cash in.

  • Matt
    27 October 2015

    A very informative and moderate article. However, the last infographic – the one about how much meat to eat – is nonsense. Breakfast and lunch, fine, but then at dinner, it says the cut the mince in bolognese to the arbitrary amount that would bring the total to 70g. So they recommend you use 15g of mince – less mince than one slice of bacon? That amount would be almost non-existent. That’s not even worth having. A better suggestion would be to replace it with white mince.

  • Caro
    27 October 2015

    “The results showed that those who ate the most processed meat had around a 17% higher risk of developing bowel cancer” and smoking meta analysis showed that those who smoked had around an 8% higher risk of developing cancer. Both are low numbers.
    On the other hand, the humanity has smoked and eaten processed meat (smoked, cured) since the begining of time so probably developed a lot of mechanisms to deal with both. But not with exhaust from cars, coke etc.

  • Syeda
    27 October 2015

    This is a really useful article that clearly and articulately explains the findings. Thank you

  • Julie Millwood
    27 October 2015

    I’ve always heard that the rate of bowel cancers or related cancers are almost zero in 3rd world countries because of their lack of processed meats or meats containing nitrites. This would tend to buttress the claim that these can increase the amount of said cancers.

  • Daniel
    27 October 2015

    I really hope no money people have donated goes on this kind of nonsense, so far in the time I have been alive nearly everything has been cancer. So we saying people from France, Italy and Germany are at a higher risk as they eat a lot more processed meats like salami ? And smoked meats, Nonsence. Can we not look at finding a cure instead of scaremongering people.

  • Jan Brown
    27 October 2015

    Well I find this very interesting. I’m a bowel cancer survivor and rarely ate red meat or processed meats. I would usually have bacon and eggs for breakfast once a week, the occasional lamb or beef roast, once a month maybe. I ate mainly chicken & tuna as my staple diet and plenty of vegetables. Probably didn’t eat enough fruit in general but other than that, my diet was pretty good. I asked my surgeon, why me? after diagnosis and his answer was, “We are totally clueless as to why some people get bowel cancer and others don’t” so I wouldn’t sign off red meat based on this study.

  • amanda
    27 October 2015

    yum, battery farm chicken and fish coloured with dye. That won’t increase my risk of cancer compared to pasture raised beef and lamb.

  • Askari Kazmi
    27 October 2015

    The diagram showing how much meat should be eaten daily ay be re-arranged like this.
    The meat 50 gms or 70 gms is to be taken in dinners only and in luch time no animal protein is to be allowed. for detailed discussion one may contact me anytime KazmisBioscienceLabs 923212121060.

  • Sammy
    27 October 2015

    So chicken is OK? Where do chicken nuggets get classified… processed or chicken?

  • Janet
    27 October 2015

    You are influenced by the large cattle and grain producers. There is no need to publish this otherwise. We can interpret the figures.

  • Stepehn
    27 October 2015

    I’ve been trying to find out all day. Processed meat and red meat increase risk of cancer. Does this mean processed WHITE meat is increases cancer?

  • Johnoz
    27 October 2015

    Thanks it’s a lot clearer, I think that ‘hazard identification’, not ‘risk assessment’. should have been a bit more I the foreground of the briefings to journalists . And the definition of processed meat as not including fresh sausages etc could also have been a bit clearer in briefing to journalists, not that it would stop their hunger for ‘click bait’

  • Bev Kennedy
    27 October 2015

    You said “substitute ham for chicken or tuna.” That is backwards of what you mean.

  • Jo
    27 October 2015

    Sausages would not fall into the same category as many other processed meats surely as they aren’t high in nitrites – are they? Usually have a bit of sulphite & sold pretty fresh at the butcher. I would like clarification on this as my kids eat them regularly.

  • John
    27 October 2015

    You know they classify pot next to heroin lol so they are now saying meat is as dangerous as cigarettes when we have consumed meat since beinging, it’s circle of life. But sheep will be sheep.

  • Nick Emblow
    27 October 2015

    Great article explaining some of the findings here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661797/
    Given that now many processed meats are made with ascorbic acid or some other anti-oxidant (which should theoretically reduce nitrosamine formation), and the cohort studies are based on older methods of production – is there scope to suggest that the risk might be reduced in the future with better production methods? Also, why aren’t other processed foods included, like smoked fish, for example, which undoubtedly also has high amount of nitrosamine formation potential?

  • Paula
    27 October 2015

    “there’s no strong evidence linking fresh white meats such as chicken, turkey, or fish to any types of cancer”

    You should check this out: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/

  • Virginia Wright
    27 October 2015

    I am not much of a red meat eater or proccessed lunch meat. The information is interesring and important Will share with family who kove to barbeque. Will also share with colleagues at school. Thank you for all the grsphs and charts which make it easier for people to clearly see the need to think about one’s regular diet.

  • Jean Burrows
    27 October 2015

    Good information, nicely balanced and very well explained.
    BUT PLEASE change the “Substitute ham for chicken or tuna” to “Replace ham with chicken or tuna”. What you have said means the opposite of what you intend. Please don’t lose credibility with sloppy English grammar.

  • Rob
    26 October 2015

    One, today’s report was from WHO. Two, its an 18% increased risk with none of the reports giving any clue on the controls for this study. I hate hot dogs and don’t really care for bacon. But al least have some honesty in your reporting.

  • Ross Vallely
    26 October 2015

    I feel it’s all a “Storm in a Hotpot”, perhaps with some underlying agenda. -Let’s face it, I don’t think this is something we didn’t already know, just as there are some who like their meat ‘carbonized’ (well, well done) in preference to those who like it virtually ‘raw’ by comparison.They have just put numbers & percentages in to ‘qualify it.’ – Also there is some support for ‘irradiated ‘ or microwaved meat -; Apparently, during WW2, RAF groundcrew on Nightfighter bases had discovered that bunging your sausages on the radar aerials & turning the set on & it would cook them! -I don’t think anyone was worrying about their health at that time. In these times, we have so much more out there that can kill us without getting stressed-out about MEAT.- I too have friends & family who have died of Bowel etc.type cancers, (my wonderful Mum just a month ago), but this News, quoted from the WHO apparently, has just blasted all over our country today & it all sounds rather ‘contrived.’- Historically scientists’ are not adverse to accepting a “funding-boost” to put forth ‘findings’ that concur with political or corporate agendas and this has all the trademarks of it. I don’t believe for a sec that this website is trying to do this, it comes from a much greater source, the Bilderburg Group perhaps, or some such powerful mafia. ~ Cheers ~

  • The Colonel
    26 October 2015

    This means fried chicken is A-OK. Saddle up kiddies!

  • Kathleen McGann
    26 October 2015

    Very informative. I especially appreciated the part, “How does red and processed meat cause cancer?” and the clarity and focus of category explanations.

  • Stacey
    26 October 2015

    It’s been known for years so this is huge news! No more sausage sizzles for fundraising then… And also, what’s so wrong with stocking up on tofu??

  • Stephen Cataldo
    26 October 2015

    Thanks, this is the most clear breakdown of the statistics I’ve seen. I gave up meat long ago, originally for idealistic reasons around the environment and how animals are treated, but have found it to be much healthier personally. A 1% lower lifetime chance of bowel cancer is a nice bonus. I’ve found it’s really worth checking out where your food comes from, whatever you’re eating, look at the farms you get it from, and then it makes it easier to get more enjoyment out of eating healthier. At first I thought it would be hard to “give up” the tons of easy processed-meat and processed-junk that got me through childhood, but eating well has turned out to be much more enjoyable and varied, and so much easier than getting on the dieting bandwagons.

  • Beverley
    26 October 2015

    That is breast cancer.

  • Beverley
    26 October 2015

    I eat meat, but smaller portions. I do eat 2 slices of uncured bacon microwaved about 4 times a week, and lamb baked in oven occasionally. I have salmon maybe once a week or some fish. I don’t like chicken much but I buy it already cooked. I am a survivor of cancer for 26 yrs and my colon has never had a polyup(sic). I will even lower this more.

  • Lewis Hardin
    26 October 2015

    Stop over thinking this news folks. Has nothing to do with cancer and everything to do with appeasing muslims.

  • Mark B
    26 October 2015

    Very nice and balanced piece. Far superior to the screaming headlines we see all over. Thank you!

  • Nina-R
    26 October 2015

    Very well written – thank you Casey!

  • Guy. In Florida
    26 October 2015

    OH…the beef lobby is quick and sneaky! Next they will resurrect another bird flu chicken scare. And by the way, check the sodium content in your restaurant burger dishes….WAY over the daily limits on many. Plenty of other meat options than processed red….just the opinion of a healthy 69 year old.

  • Sammy
    26 October 2015

    Now put it into context. What’s a diabetic suppose to do? There are a whole group of diabetics who control their blood sugar by consuming almost nothing but protein. What about heart disease and diabetes caused by increased consumption of carbohydrates? You’re going to replace that red meat with something.

  • Sandra
    26 October 2015

    Substitute ham for chicken and tuna??

  • Kim Ladin
    26 October 2015

    When you refer to “ball-park risks,” that’s a pun, right?(http://www.ballparkbrand.com/products/hot-dogs)

  • LCC
    26 October 2015

    The ACTUAL risk is around 0.5% – 1.0% per 50 grams DAILY. So if you don’t have it one day, even less. That is aside from the massive numbers of confounding variables.

  • Anna
    26 October 2015

    Fantastic article. Lots of people and the media going crazy today, saying processed meat is as bad as smoking. I think we need to teach more science in school.

  • Ken Posner
    26 October 2015

    let me get this straight, between high processed meat eaters and low meat eaters, there’s a 10 out of 1,000 or 1 percentage point difference in absolute risk of bowel cancer? This sounds like statistical noise to me

  • Craig
    26 October 2015

    I am a cancer patient. I won’t give up red meat. My advice… Don’t smoke, eat balanced diet and exercise and you won’t go far wrong. Incidentally I had a BBQ for tea tonight and it was lovely!

  • jessica
    26 October 2015

    What if I buy nitrate or nitrite free turkey lunch meat?

  • Darkling Thrush
    26 October 2015

    “What about venison and other wild game?”
    From the article, I would think it falls in with the other red meats. Category 2 if you cook it fresh, category 1 if you smoke it or make sausage. And grilling is apparently riskier than slow-cooking.

  • Jason
    26 October 2015

    If you read it properly dush bag you will see it is processed stuff that is causing all the damage…how any experts do you people need…they re all shouting processed is bad for you but yous just don’ listen…but you’ll keep me personal trainers, doctors, pharma industries and big bad food suppliers in business for years to come because you can’t cook and buy decent food :) IMHO we could do more to help others if we could help ourselves.

  • drrandom
    26 October 2015

    I tried to calculate what the actual decrease in life expectancy might be. I came up with roughly 1 day’s life expectancy decrease for an 18% increase in the likelihood of getting colo-rectal cancer, based on the US survival statistics.

    Anyone care to check?

  • Randy R
    26 October 2015

    What awful subjectivity to compare something like smoking to eating meat to rationalize eating meat being ‘not as bad’. This is supposed to be a science blog, remain objective please.

  • chris
    26 October 2015

    What about venison and other wild game?

  • Joe
    26 October 2015

    2013 The UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger. May 2015 The UN advocates eating bugs as a way to offset livestock production to decrease global warming. October 2015 UN states that eating processed meats is as bad as smoking tobacco and asbestos.
    I think the UN is smoking crack! Seems like a theme with them. If they are so hot about eating nasty bugs, let them set the example by only serving them insects at their elaborate banquets and dinners first before demanding the rest of the world eat unclean things so they can live their lavish lifestyles! What a bunch of self-important hypocrytes.

  • Henry Scowcroft
    26 October 2015

    DocMills – It’s not accurate to say that all ‘UK sausages’ (compared to, say, continental salamis) are ‘are not classified as processed meat’ – for example, shop-bought ‘English-style’ sausages contain extra salt and preservatives, meaning they fall under IARC’s classification as ‘processed’ (you can read their Q&A here).

    Karen – Our BBQ events are all about getting friends and family together to help raise funds for our research. We certainly don’t ask people to host a BBQ every day, and we do challenge people to look beyond the boring burger and sausages combo.

    Deb, yes, IARC are including processed chicken and turkey as ‘processed meat’ (even though chicken/turkey aren’t ‘red’ meat) – the key thing to bear in mind is that ‘processed’ foods are foods that have been altered in some way to enhance their flavour or aid preservation. You can read more in IARC’s Q&A.

    Henry Scowcroft
    Cancer Research UK

  • DocMills
    26 October 2015

    The human race has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to take advantage of cooked food, including red meat.

    It is highly improbable that evolution over this length of time hasn’t included adaptations to any health risks that this may involve.

    As such, the claim that unprocessed red meat causes cancer requires ‘extraordinary evidence’ which is something current epidemiological studies do not provide.

  • Jean-Marc Desperrier
    26 October 2015

    Dear Christopher Key, a study usually is a study, but the “China Study” is actually a book, which content has received some fair amount of criticism for, whilst containing some interesting informations, being way to assertive about the link between meat and cancer, and “forgetting” a lot of things which make the situation far from being as clear cut as it’s author claim it is. See here for a fairly complete evaluation of that book and it’s claims : http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/ “The China Study: Fact or Fallacy?”

  • Christopher Kay
    26 October 2015

    The fact that eating ANY animal products increases cancer risk has been known since the China Study was published in 2005. You have allowed your own bias to play down the influence diet has on cancer risk. Cancer Research UK, your advice should be to adopt a plant-based diet and not simply “cut down”. Animal products are as carcinogenic as smoking and asbestos whether you wish to acknowledge this fact or not.

  • deb
    26 October 2015

    You put salami, sausage and bacon as processed meats, what about chicken and turkey processed meats? Cold cuts, Ham, Pastrami??

  • Gerard Blair
    26 October 2015

    Excellent infographic – very informative

  • Karen
    26 October 2015

    If you have known about this for some time why were you encouraging people to have BBQ’s to raise money for you in the summer? Would it not be a better idea for you to promote not eating animals?

  • DocMills
    26 October 2015

    UK sausages, made with fresh meat, are not classified as processed meat

    Comments

  • Chris Wellburn
    22 April 2016

    I lost my husband to pancreatic cancer last year. He was a smoker and also ate bacon, sausages and processed ham. I’ve thought for a long time that these foods were like ‘plastic’ and don’t eat any of them. I prefer to have proper meat and cook it from there. So it looks like I was correct in my thinking. I also worry about heated plastics which some of our takeaway food is heated in and the use of cling film over our food.

  • Katie
    21 April 2016

    I would love to hear more about the research being done into the microbiome and the cancer risks from red or processed meat. I read the study that you link to here and I have seen other studies, but I wondered if you have an article with an overview into this? That would be amazing.

  • CLP
    11 April 2016

    You don’t want bowel cancer, it’s a hell on earth existence. You just die a long painful death. It’s not fast like a heart attack.

  • Jan Claire
    8 April 2016

    So what they’re telling us is we can only eat peanut butter?

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    Breakfast no sauasage no bacon don’t sell meat if it will cause cancer

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    Cancer that one

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    This is my opinion your so wrong what veggies gonna cause cancer

  • ashley
    30 March 2016

    Your wrong meat dosent cause cancer you want me to fill my feezer with only ham chicken and Turkey yay right

  • Hasse Karlgreen
    23 March 2016

    The cancer has various types like mouth cancer, blood cancer and lung cancer. Smoking cigarette is the big reason behind mouth cancer and lung cancer. Smoking affects our mouth as well as lungs.

  • Austin
    21 March 2016

    I’d rather enjoy delicious meats and die early than live my life as a vegetarian or a vegan. But that’s just me.

  • Anderson Sweden
    2 March 2016

    Cigarette smoking is responsible for nearly 90% of all lung cancer cases identified and diagnosed. Lung cancer isn’t the one health complication you need to be concerned if you are a smoker. There are more than a handful of other related diseases that are triggered and it’s all a matter of time before it starts to take a toll on the body. So its better to keep yourself away from smoking as much as possible. Thanks for the blog and sharing the causes of cancer with us.

  • Ginette Carter
    10 February 2016

    Interesting. How about not using nitrate in curing, just using regular pickling salt? Also this analysis does not reflect that chicken, all poultry and eastern, Atlantic salmon and wild trout have some of the highest Inflammation Index amongst food. Not everyone suffers from cancer, but a lot more of us suffer from multiple forms of inflammations like arthritis, most chronic problems, allergies, digestion Issues, etc etc…. Documentation? read Dr. Chilton’s research on food caused Inflammation.
    .

  • Gaynor merchant
    6 February 2016

    Reaching adulthood I have always been of the opinion that meat is bad for you, and do not eat it. I eat lots of bean sprouts, veg and fruit, nuts and seeds. After all you are eating rotting animal corpses.

  • Luis
    15 January 2016

    Excellent! The best page I found until now on this subject.

  • Tiho
    12 January 2016

    Thank you very much indeed

  • raven nightmare
    8 January 2016

    this really scary and to think i love to eat bacon and other meat

  • JackCamps
    30 December 2015

    This is true unfortunately. Nowadays there is no health food expect vegies (from small local market), where people doesn’t have money to buy pesticides.

  • anj
    28 December 2015

    The article is not direct to the point. Hs making the article long…

  • Jeff Smart
    28 December 2015

    The author of this article has excluded some information from IARC or WHO or whoever actually does the research. This is just someone regurgitating facts. Someone with a huge biased against smoking. It would be interesting to see the damage of One cigarette per day versus a 250+/- gram meat intake per day. You can’t spout off about moderation but only when it fits your argument. Point is, it makes your argument less credible when you aren’t acting like a professional. The whole part about there only being 10 less deaths from people eating the least amount of meats. Give your head a shake. Compare those numbers to vegans before this can ever become a worthy statistic. I’ll borrow some of the authors logic: its like saying there’s only 10 less deaths among people Who only smoke 15 cigarettes a day, compared to those Who smoke 20. Get it?

  • Dr Kovacs
    17 December 2015

    Hi, I was just wondering why you have disabled the comments on your most popular thread “10 Cancer Myths Debunked”?

  • Marius
    12 December 2015

    all you guys who are embarased for reduced diet are “stupid“ u england people and america eat so much meet and u are over half people very fat, this is very wrong and dangerous, if u reduced the meet in your meel is healty for you! sry for my english!

  • Vik
    29 November 2015

    Absolute eye opener,”Save the Mankind”

  • david beeson
    28 November 2015

    you seem to be trivializing cancer risk and diet! shame on you guys!!!!

  • Ronke shadare
    25 November 2015

    If that’s what research has proven so we limit the consumption of meat or total avoidance. What does it have to do with age

  • Dale
    23 November 2015

    It says processed meats cause cancer, but it doesn’t show pictures of processed white meat (chicken, turkey). Why doesn’t the research limit its claim to say “processed red meats cause cancer” OR specify the difference in cancer probability between processed white meats and processed red meats? This is surprisingly “sloppy” notification from the WHO. Say what you mean, WHO!

  • Salwa Hamouda
    20 November 2015

    It is very good in explanation of cause for cancer ,and how to avoide it by reducing or cancel the processed meat and red meat .

  • SANDRA KNIGHT
    15 November 2015

    Having read the article it has given me more of an insight into the subject and made me rethink my eating habits which cannot be a bad thing.

  • Richard
    13 November 2015

    An excellent article that clarifies the information by removing the hysteria and hype generated around it by the media. Thankyou.

  • Luc
    13 November 2015

    Why no mention that the salicylates ( Aspirin ) , vitamin C and other nutrients in organic vegetables largely reverses these risks from nitrosamines?? But there isn’t much salicylate in non-organically produced vegetables, so probably wise to take low-dose aspirin supplement daily.
    And in the case of barbequed food, just turn the food frequently to allow cooking but limit charing also reduces the risks. Similar risks also present in all baked or toasted carbs.

  • Pat
    12 November 2015

    VERY clearly explained. I liked the ‘little people’ illustration.

  • Susan thomad
    10 November 2015

    Written in wonderful simple easy to understand English. Thank you

  • Margaret
    10 November 2015

    Excellent information saying not to panic but cut down on some meats.

  • Fran
    10 November 2015

    Excellent article – explained everything clearly including the stats behind the risks.

  • Rod Naylor
    10 November 2015

    I still find it confusing. Why are sausages seen as processed, but burgers are not? Surely it just depends how each one is made?

  • Grace
    9 November 2015

    “fresh chicken or turkey, and fish (neither of which appear to increase your risk of cancer)” Not according to The China Study and the associated documentary Forks over Knives.

  • Peter Gagg
    9 November 2015

    I would have liked to know what the research says about ‘processed’ fish. eg Salmon, Kippers, Haddock, Cod etc.

  • Steve
    8 November 2015

    Good info, well presented

  • Sue Ashworth
    8 November 2015

    I found this a really clear and helpful article to clarify the shock/horror headlines. Thank you – great to read things in plain English

  • Margaret Carter
    8 November 2015

    Excellent article

  • Mark BurkittMark
    8 November 2015

    I understood that haem iron reacts with peroxides formed from polyunsaturated vegetable oils during cooking, forming radicals and – ultimately – cytotoxic carbonyls. For this reason, I always advise against eating red meat with food fried in vegetable oils. The formation of nitrosamines is a separate mechanism, occurring primarily in meats to which nitrites have been added (i.e. processed meats). The case against eating processed meats is far stronger than that against red meats.

  • Marc
    7 November 2015

    I just wonder, why is smoking *always* bad for you? Why isn’t it OK to smoke – say – one cigarette a day, just like it would be fine to eat red meat only a week?

  • Toks
    7 November 2015

    Very informative and easily understood by the non- scientific reader. However a bit patronising and cagey in its conclusions.

  • Neil
    7 November 2015

    Excellent, but a little concerned about an alternative sandwich filling being tuna! From much of the info. available on fish and fish products there is an issue with heavy metals and plastics in the food chain. So keeping consumption of fish on the low side may also be useful.
    Anything wrong with cheese? – apart from cholesterol.

  • Andrew
    7 November 2015

    Hmm I think that meat consumption itself doesn’t cause cancer. The lifestyles of the people that eat lots of fry ups and burgers etc and generally don’t look after themselves is the cause. To start scare mungering like this is unforgivable. Quick let’s all give more money to researchers so they can tell us the obvious.

  • Maryann Debattista
    7 November 2015

    Thanks, this info is really clear and helpful.

  • Ann Cocks
    6 November 2015

    A very helpful article But I’m still confused about sausages! There is a massive difference between frankfurters, salami, chorizo and that kind of sausage when compared to fresh traditional English style sausages from a good butcher made from fresh meat with no artificial flavours or preservatives or even good quality supermarket sausages. How can they be compared with sausages made from cured or smoked meats? The meat in butchers’ sausages is simply finely minced just as in fresh burgers or mince which you do not classify as “processed”

  • Brian Luckwell
    6 November 2015

    i wish Headliners would not produce scares, it does not help any producer or eater. all things in moderation, My steak eating is around two a month, and certainly I am not a daily cooked breakfast eater, possible twice a week. Researchers shoule modify their findings.

  • Julie Bradbury
    6 November 2015

    Excellent. It provides a readily understandable balanced view and provides practical guidance to improve your diet and reduce the risk of bowel cancer

  • Alan Rhodes
    6 November 2015

    Thank you for sending me this information,I will pass it on to as many friends and family
    I will tell them to pass it on to there friends and family,

  • Pam
    6 November 2015

    A really helpful article that gives clear facts and guidelines. I shall endeavour to pass it on to friends and family who are still confused by the recent reports. Thank you very much indeed. Pam.

  • Richard
    6 November 2015

    Great article, thank you! It would be really helpful to know if processed fish are also considered carcinogenic. For example smoked haddock / tinned tuna etc as my simple mind would say there are probably similar preservation processes involved…

  • John Blakeley
    6 November 2015

    A very clear and helpful article. Thanks

  • Hayley
    6 November 2015

    Informative and sensibly written article. Thank you

  • Rose H
    6 November 2015

    Very useful information and practical tips. Thank you

  • Peter
    6 November 2015

    Very informative and useful, there needs to be more of this sensible approach about eating, not just headlines, as these turn people off ,just another scare headline

  • Kay Loten
    6 November 2015

    What a comprehensive, understandable article. Really informative.

  • Ronald Thompson
    6 November 2015

    it was very helpful and informative

  • Suzy M
    6 November 2015

    What a shame so many people will not get to read this and still panic. My niece has given up sausages and bacon ( she’s 9 ) The media coverage scared her not informed her to make the choice. Hopefully explaining this article to her will help her understand.

  • Confused carer
    6 November 2015

    Interesting about fish…. but what about processed fish like smoked salmon and smoked mackerel? Are they not affected? What about smoked cheese?. I’d like to see more about the processing bit and how to be clear what meat is processed…. like gammon joints.

  • Jo
    6 November 2015

    Thank you for this article. It was really clear and well explained.

  • ezio laconi
    6 November 2015

    the figures for lung cancer and colon cancer seem wrong to me: in fact, if no-one smoked, you would have a 16% reduction in total cancer burden, while if no-one ate any processed or red meat such reduction would be only 0.6%. The ratio between 16 and 0.6 is 27, while the ratio between your two final figures (64.500 and 8.800) is only 7.

  • maeve
    6 November 2015

    very interesting article and very well explained thankyou.

  • Nigel Holland
    6 November 2015

    Thank you. A very sensible and well explained presentationof the evidence and equally sensible recommendations

  • Ron
    5 November 2015

    very revealing thank you

  • Paul
    5 November 2015

    Excellent and balanced information

  • Katie
    5 November 2015

    Great article easy to understand very informative, thank you.

  • Shane
    5 November 2015

    Awesome infographics and information. Enjoyed reading this thoroughly.

  • Doreen ginger
    5 November 2015

    Have a bacon butty possibly once a month. Only eat red meat twice a week. Don’t do processed meat much at all. Eat more than average fruit and veg…still got bowel cancer.

  • Julie Bamford
    5 November 2015

    very informative.

  • Leigh Farrer
    5 November 2015

    Very informative without being too hard to understand or take in thank you.

  • Mark
    5 November 2015

    What about fatty foods such as chips, cheese and chocolate? What cancer risk do they have?

  • Mike
    5 November 2015

    Does this mean that the government is now going to tax red and processed meat higher to stop us eating them? (Instead of getting at the food companies to stop messing about with the food.)

  • HL
    5 November 2015

    Is offal such as liver, kidney, heart etc classed as red meat here?

  • DezB
    5 November 2015

    “healthy living is all about moderation”. Sums it up perfectly, forget all the doom mongers and the fadists, use your brains and be moderate in your diet.

  • Kathleen
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting article,certainly try to continue eating healthy and maintain exercising. I do have some treats through out the year!

  • Robert Zali
    5 November 2015

    My rule I direct myself after sounds according Paracelsus: ” … there are in the Nature no medicine and no poisons but only doses”.

  • Lara
    5 November 2015

    The inclusion of spaghetti bolognese in the illustration isn’t confusing when you see that the title of the illustration is including red meat. So that is there purely to include some red meat, in this case beef, not processed.

  • judith miller
    5 November 2015

    I have recently started to read this website, I am a health professional and thought the article was very clear, thought provoking without raising too much anxiety. Informative without dumbing down.

  • Kate
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article but earlier in the text you say mince isn’t classed as a processed meat but later in the graphic you include spaghetti bolognese – which is a bit confusing!

  • Clare
    5 November 2015

    Amazing. Thank you. It’s hard to know what’s behind the headlines, and what a statistic like 17%increase means without the ancillary data. Increasing information helps us all live a healthier life

  • Mrs Marion king
    5 November 2015

    I think u are trying to be God, l’m now getting to the point, there’s nothing u won’t leave alone, as l’m hope to get to remission next ?year as l had lung cancer so enough is enough !!!!!

  • Nigel Platts
    5 November 2015

    This is a most helpful article – last week’s newspapers were hysterical on this piece of news (which was pretty well known for many years in any event) and a calm recitation of the facts is very welcome. Of course it makes sense not to eat too much red and/or processes meat but it is good to have advice based on common sense not hyperbole.

  • Tony
    5 November 2015

    Why are Pork Chops for instance classed as Red Meat. They are not Red in colour and taste so good when roasted

  • barbara rosenthal
    5 November 2015

    Clear unequivocal information, easily accessed

  • Lynn Childs
    5 November 2015

    Thank you. Very sensible, non alarmist advice.

  • Lisa Large
    5 November 2015

    Interesting and well-explained article. Thank you for presenting the facts so that we can adjust our diet. What about home -cooked gammon/ ham?

  • Sandy Bullivant
    5 November 2015

    As someone who hand makes sausages and bacon, the biggest problem is not the products themselves but the excessive amounts of nitrite based preservatives used by commercial producers to extend shelf life. Sausages have been made and consumed for thousands of years. It is the greed of the major commercial producers that is damaging health. If are concerned about the content of sausages get a mincer/sausage stuffer attachment for you mixer and have a go at making your own: It’s huge fun and very satisfying.

  • Jane
    5 November 2015

    I think your articles and graphics are clearly and attractively presented. You seem to have the patience of saints and I don’t know how you better present all this information.

  • Phil Cocks
    5 November 2015

    Good article, but I still have a question. You say chicken and fish are not included but what about smoked fish or barbequed chicken?

  • Gordon Egerton
    5 November 2015

    A wonderfully clear and balanced article. It is always a shame about headlines; this was very reassuring.

  • Pip
    5 November 2015

    Excellent graphics. Puts the points across clearly.

  • David East
    5 November 2015

    The article is very useful. What I find annoying is that ingredients on the packaging are often numerous, and I find it hard to understand why so many ingredients are necessary. Added to this is the fact that lots of ingredients appear to be chemicals and a lot of ingredients mean absolutely nothing to me. Is it possible that some ingredients include things that are caused by the processing of the meat? – I ask myself. I am not aware of anything that is published for general public use, to explain all the terms that arise in this connection. I wonder whether it is only cancer that we should concern ourselves with in connection with red and processed meat.

  • Margaret Broughton
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting and well worth “digesting”

  • Sally Jolley
    5 November 2015

    Excellent reading. So simple to follow thank you

  • Sally Jolley
    5 November 2015

    Excellent reading. So simple to follow thank you for explaining in such detail

  • Sarah O'Connor
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article. Very clear and concise

  • Victoria
    5 November 2015

    Loved the banana analogy! Very easy to read and understand, definitely calms me down after hearing all the horror stories about meat in the news

  • Jammie
    5 November 2015

    Bruce G hit the nail right on the head.
    Really good article.

  • Des Pedlow
    5 November 2015

    An excellent article and very thought provoking, except perhaps to smokers; if they thought about their health they would quit.

  • Bruce G
    5 November 2015

    An excellent, clearly written and non-sensationalistic article.
    Shame the media can’t report facts in the same way.
    Keep up the good work!

  • Lavinia Shan
    5 November 2015

    It just goes to show you have to look ‘behind the headlines’ to get the truth. Isn’t it back to everything in moderation? Thanks for a great article.

  • Dapo
    5 November 2015

    Brilliant article, absolutely brilliant – very clear and precise. Thanks you very much!

  • Chris
    5 November 2015

    Understandably smoking is always the bad guy but what about e-cigarettes? Is there any risk with inhaling vaporized nicotine?

  • Atam
    5 November 2015

    Very good

  • Marion Mackenzie
    5 November 2015

    This is really helpful and has explained it all much better than the frightening stories that the media were putting out! I don’t eat much red meat anyway, once possibly twice a wk max so hopefully I’m doing the right thing.

  • Christine Harris
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article – clearly presented and easy to assimilate.

  • Mabdie
    5 November 2015

    Interesting to have this put in context. Sensible, understandable advice.

  • Betty Wilkins
    5 November 2015

    Very informative and interesting. Your diagrams are very helpful in showing just how processed and red meat can be bad for you.

  • marianne tracey
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting. Thank you for the information. Certainly very helpful.

  • Sue Waller
    5 November 2015

    Really helpful analysis! It removes the tendency to think that the findings on red & processed meats are just another scare story which could be reversed later eg. butter is bad, then butter is better than low fat spreads. It’s a real help to read a balanced and sensible approach to diet, and to help make the figures clearer for the lay person.

  • Heather
    5 November 2015

    Interesting stuff. I will eat less red meat

  • Maria Twist
    5 November 2015

    I have found this very useful. I have already cut down a lot on red meat and rarely eat processed meat , except on holiday as a treat! so I may be on the right track anyway.

  • Stephanie Shevlin
    5 November 2015

    Thank you! Statistics were explained properly and it was a genuinely useful article. Although I don’t think my intake is very high anyway I’ll bear it in mind from now on when planning my meals!

  • Victoria Clark
    5 November 2015

    Extremely helpful and balanced information.

  • Caroline
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting & informative

  • Penny Anderson
    5 November 2015

    Very helpful and well explained article which gives facts without the the sensationalism of the media articles.

  • Paul McNeil
    5 November 2015

    Saying “substitue Ham for Chicken or Tuna” means eat Ham instead of Chicken or Tuna, you probably meant to say the reverse. Words are important, and so is grammar if you don’t want to confuse people.

  • D J Clay
    5 November 2015

    Very helpful and interesting

  • D J Clay
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting and helpful

  • Robert Walsh
    5 November 2015

    What about smoked salmon, mackerel, herring, other fish?

  • biologyteacher
    5 November 2015

    An interesting, well written article, thank you.
    As I read it, the lowest risk of developing bowel cancer is 56/1000 people in those who eat the lowest amount of meat (but what about vegetarians, or are they included in this group?).
    The average risk for all people (eating however much meat) is that 61/1000 develop bowel cancer.
    If eating the highest amount of red meat adds on 17% more risk of getting bowel cancer, compared to the lowest meat eating group, then an extra 17% of the lowest group 56/1000 get cancer = 1.17 x 56 = 66 rounded up.

    So moving to a high meat diet means:
    a) 10 extra people get bowel cancer compared to the lowest meat eating group, i.e. 56 to 66 people/1000
    This is an extra 10 out of a 1000 people, i.e. 1%, compared to the 3% risk in 2011, and not as dramatic as 17% sounds.
    b) 5 extra people get bowel cancer compared to the average risk, i.e. 61 to 66/1000 people. This is 5 extra people in a thousand, which is an increase of 0.5% people.

    Using natural frequencies is better, the range of bowel cancer rates in low and high meat eating groups is from 56 to 66 out of a 1000 people. The headline would be: “Eating the highest amount of red and processed meat, increases the risk of bowel cancer in an extra 10 out of a thousand people.”

  • Gerard Fleming
    5 November 2015

    This is an excellent explanation of the science behind the classification and goes a very long way to give clear and balanced advice for a healthier lifestyle , which is far from the media sensationalist and frightening reporting of the findings.

  • requiredname
    5 November 2015

    wow , eat a balanced diet. Really ground breaking stuff.

  • Lyndsay
    5 November 2015

    That last comment meant to say “natural” not “beaches” autocorrect!

  • Lyndsay
    5 November 2015

    This is not healthy. Future reading needs to be done. There has been multiple studies done to show how unhealthy meat. We shouldn’t be eating any meat or dairy in our diet. It’s not beaches say, it doesn’t belong there. Our limit for cholesterol is 0mg a day. All meat and dairy contains more than that. Please do some research before attempting to call me out on this. I’m not saying it to preach I’m saying it because I care about people and I don’t want them to get sick. Meat is bad for you. You can get all your nutrients off plant-based sources and they are still satisfying and they taste great. If people have sensible, respectful questions then I’d be happy to answer. Read the China study for a start there’s some great documentaries on YouTube too. Much love.

  • J Carole Dixon
    5 November 2015

    I think this is a very interesting report. Headlines in newspapers are scary and people tell others and it gets out of proportion. Thank you for this scientific report to clarify the situation.

  • Alan
    5 November 2015

    Why the dismissive reference to tofu? Maybe better to extol its virtues in its many and flavoursome guises rather than use it as a threat to people’s diets.

  • Richard Jardine
    5 November 2015

    Very interesting findings and good to have a Prof put it into context with the banana skin analogy. Would like to know if this also includes liver (perhaps as a Group 2 meat item) as it is high in haem which of course gives it the benefit of being Iron rich and is often recommended for people with iron deficiencies – should this advice be adjusted?

  • Poldo
    5 November 2015

    Does “processed meat” include also white processed meat or is it only red processed meat?

  • Maureen Elder
    5 November 2015

    Very useful information and very much appreciated.

  • Clarissa Hanna
    5 November 2015

    This is a most wonderfully clear and balanced explanation, serious without being over alarming and te graphics are really helpful. I will be passing this on to my grown up children..

  • Rob
    5 November 2015

    Surely the 100g of minced beef is not in the same “harmful” league as the processed bacon, sausages and ham – but seems to count equally in the 70g daily advised limit.
    As the curing process is likely to be the problem in meats, how does this affect say smoked fish?

  • Roger
    5 November 2015

    As you say, this message is nothing new. It was back in the 80s I think that I first heard about nitrites in cured meats and food processes such as smoking being a possible cause of cancer. But, it’s just hit the headlines and the differentiation between “cause” and “risk” has of course been blurred. An excellent blog that I’ll keep and forward on. Well done.

  • Amy
    5 November 2015

    Thank you for this, it has really helped get the risk into a sensible perspective. I’m still not sure about sliced chicken and turkey that you buy in deli section of the supermarket – another article I read implied that this may have been treated similarly and therefore may also pose a risk. Can you clarify?

  • Anne Bellhouse
    5 November 2015

    Very informative, well illustrated. Measured advice – cannot be thought to be scaremongering.

  • Karen Ambler
    5 November 2015

    I liked and understood the analogy of the banana skin and the illustrations were very illuminating. I also thought that the portion illustration was very effective and I will be following it.

  • Laura
    5 November 2015

    Very useful information and well written. This has certainly clarified a lot of the issues around meat consumption. Thanks for presenting it so clearly.

  • Eunice LI Dan Yue
    5 November 2015

    What about ham that are sliced on the spot, those we got from the ham counter; and not those pre-packed ones? Does it still cause bowel cancer? Are the risks still the same?

  • Tom Houston
    5 November 2015

    Excellent article. Found it very informative.

  • d sheard
    5 November 2015

    A very well-produced summary and much more balanced than much of the mainstream media coverage.
    It is important to remember that we are born, we live and we die. The key is to have a good life and, with luck, a good death.
    Too many people focus on the length of our lives, rather than the quality of life we live.

  • Laurie
    5 November 2015

    Great – a balanced and rational view makes a nice change from the usual media sensationalism! Just waiting patiently now for the vegan evangelists to invade this post with their quasi-religious approach as per…

  • Sue
    2 November 2015

    If eating red meat is dangerous what does someone (like myself) do when they are allergic to vegetables and a lot of fruit? Eat pills?

  • Matt Baker
    2 November 2015

    thanks for this, I enjoyed reading some expert analysis, rather than the confusion in the newspapers. One query i have in all of this – what is the impact of smoked fish and turkey on the incidence of cancers? is the meat the issue or the smoking process?

  • Mary Lewton
    2 November 2015

    I believe meat is a big factor in cancer. any processed meats to.

  • Aries
    1 November 2015

    Chicken? What about Chicken Sausages…also processed meat… but white…

  • Denise
    31 October 2015

    The problem may lie in the animal feed as well as in the post production plastic packaging maybe stop spaying the crops with pesticides It seems that no matter what we eat now ends up giving us cancer of some sort remember joe jackson song everything give s you cancer

  • Ragnar Szczepaniak
    30 October 2015

    http://www.wired.com/2015/10/who-does-bacon-cause-cancer-sort-of-but-not-really/

  • John
    30 October 2015

    I think we should all enjoy the one life we have – If I listened to every piece of health advice I would never go anywhere, eat anything or enjoy life in anyway, shape or form…
    So, I am going to have a bacon sandwich, glass of wine, burger, can of coke, steak or large double G&T whenever I feel like – and you know why…
    Because I understand moderation….

  • Al Shaw
    30 October 2015

    Thanks for a helpful article.

    If “haem” is possibly implicated in the process, is there any evidence that might indicate a reduced risk on the part of red meat eaters when such meat has had the blood removed from it (as far as is practicable, e.g. by the Jewish melihah method of slaughter and preparation)?

  • Duke
    30 October 2015

    You say , “All we can say is that on the whole, the risk is lower the less (meat) you eat.” Then go on to say , eat in moderation. So we should assume those people will get extra cancer risk in moderation. Enabler.

  • Andy
    30 October 2015

    So smoking and processed/red meat cause 22% of all cancers…. So what causes the other 78%?

  • Gui
    30 October 2015

    For Peter Hill below:

    EPIC study:
    http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/63

    Conclusions
    The results of our analysis support a moderate positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality, in particular due to cardiovascular diseases, but also to cancer.
    Keywords: diet; meat; mortality; cohort; Europe; cardiovascular; cancer

  • Aron
    29 October 2015

    Hey just wanted to notify you… I tried to take the survey from the popup and it was broken. Should look into that.

    But great article, I like how level headed its written instead of trying to blow everything out of proportion like soooo many others.

  • Linda Sutton
    29 October 2015

    I’d like to have an ikon to share to facebook directly. Have to do by taking the url and entering.

  • Bob
    29 October 2015

    Keep in mind that this is a correlation study. It did not even control for variable such as smoking and exercise. That`s right, a study about cancer did not take into consideration whether or not the individuals who ate meat smoked. Give me a break.

  • carina62
    29 October 2015

    What about countries like Italy, Spain, Germany etc who consume a lot of processed meats?

  • Lee
    29 October 2015

    Nice and clear apart from one point: you say it doesn’t include mince, then include mince in your ‘bad meat’ diagram (spaghetti bolognese)? It this all confusing to you too then?

  • Peter Hill
    29 October 2015

    Association does not prove causality. Then there is the meaty matter of confounding. The very large EPIC study (>455000 participants) that looked at red and processed meat in cancer and CVD found red meat ‘not guilty’ (after adjustment for error) and processed meat ‘guilty’…but only in current and ex-smokers. Perhaps the it’s the smoking and not the processed meat? Peter Hill, PhD

  • John
    29 October 2015

    Loved this article, thanks so much for the entirety of it, and you are awesome. But. BUT. If you EVER suggest adding extra veggies or, god forbid, BEANS to a bolognese, I will cut you, ese.

  • Polymath
    28 October 2015

    China Study has been widely debunked as TCC selected results that supported his Theseus and ignored results that refuted it. This book went on to make TCC millions of dollars. When challenged on the fact he ignore opposing results his response was simply that “his reputation spoke for itself” and that as such he had no intention of answering for his omissions in the final text. In other words, he wrote a book to appeal to a vegan fad and made millions. THAT speaks for itself.

  • FashionFan
    28 October 2015

    According to Dr. T. Colin Campbell, director of the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted, the China Project, and professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, animal proteins are the prime carcinogen in meat and dairy products. He has found that “human studies also support this carcinogenic effect of animal protein, even at usual levels of consumption. … No chemical carcinogen is nearly so important in causing human cancer as animal protein.” Not surprisingly, two large studies of vegetarians in Germany and another in England found that vegetarians were about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer than their meat-eating counterparts.

  • Brian Nelson
    28 October 2015

    Has this author never heard of the work of Drs. Esselstyn or Campbell on the question of whether meat is “good” for us? They’ve been trying to tell us this for decades but we’ve been too busy ruining both our health and the planet to listen.

    “The evidence so far doesn’t point to a particular amount that’s, in terms of cancer risk, likely to be ‘too much’.” Dr. Campbell recommends less than 5% of one’s diet to be animal-based (not just meat). Check out any of his books…watch “Forks Over Knives”…it’s out there.

  • Son
    28 October 2015

    I wonder what the bowel cancer rates are in countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal where hams and processed meats abound?

  • Peter Styles
    28 October 2015

    With regards to the recent release of study results that show that an over abundance of red or processed meats in the diet might have a negative reaction on the human body, it is amazing that the World Health Organization should come to the same conclusion as any dietitian on any street corner, or in fact by the “fat Kid” in Jr. High. This is a waste of funds which I am sure can be better utilized elsewhere. Helping homeless puppies for example.

    It is a shame that a formerly respected organization such as this should spend hard earned credibility in attempting to denigrate established family industries such as farming, with “warnings” that suggest that a lack of moderation in anything might have a negative impact on a low number of individuals. WHO, lending their name to scientific findings in the past has also lent a great deal of weight to the efforts of scientists throughout the world. Efforts of this nature, now make such judgments a joke!

  • DocMills
    28 October 2015

    @Henry Scowcroft

    You highlight the problem with the IARC report (and this article). What exactly do the terms ‘processed meat’ and ‘sausage’ mean?

    In much of the research, which underpins IARC’s analysis, processed meat refers to preserved meat (typically nitrite-salted) and ‘sausage’ refers ‘red sausage’ or specific sausage types such as salami.

    However, some studies, such the Europe-wide EPIC project, classify processed meat as any transformed meat – including fresh sausages, meatballs, beef burgers (contrary to your article) and paté!

    The IARC report includes research from both camps. I’m not sure how the IARC scientists dealt with this conflict in terms of evidence, but the IARC definition of processed meat definitely tends towards the first ‘preserved meat’ version.

    Unhelpfully, the IARC definition also includes ‘sausages’, however, in most western countries (and on the International IARC committee too, I suspect) ‘sausage’ refers to red sausages, such as salami and frankfurters.

    So I feel that my claim is valid – UK fresh meat sausages are not ‘processed meat’.

  • Sandra
    28 October 2015

    Well written, easy to understand, gives excellent advice.

  • Gretchen Stanton
    28 October 2015

    Very clearly explained and understandable graphics. It would be nice to see more scientific issues explained so well.

  • Vanessa Harvey
    28 October 2015

    Very helpful and sensible article.

  • Penina Sarah
    28 October 2015

    I agree that any amount of processed meat, despite the flavor, is no good for you, and red meat in general, is not good, either. Sodium nitrate is a carcinogen, sodium nitrite I understand is 4 times as potent a carcinogen, and sodium erythrobate is also a risk. These would be problematic even if in white meats such as turkey or chicken, and I even try to avoid them in small amounts in smoked fish.

  • Dave
    28 October 2015

    From the article: “None of this means that a single meat-based meal is ‘bad for you’.”

    Actually that’s exactly what it means. Saying this is like arguing that a single cigarette isn’t bad for you.

    In fact, according to these numbers, eating a serving of red or processed meat is probably somewhat comparable to smoking a single cigarette, in terms of risk. Your average cigarette smoker doesn’t light up just once per day, the average is around 12 times.

  • Ruth
    28 October 2015

    Excellent article and after a history of bowel cancer in our family, great to have some guidelines to follow.

  • Pearl
    28 October 2015

    So all European countries that eat processed meats must be warned!

  • david
    28 October 2015

    “We know that, out of every 1000 people in the UK, about 61 will develop bowel cancer at some point in their lives. ”

    I believe the rate is 61 out of 100,000. Not 61 out of 1,000.

  • Ken
    28 October 2015

    Last time I checked . bacon was cured not processed. So since meat rafting has been around since the dawn of man. You would think that by now cancer would have reduced the population dramatically. Well that’s not happened. Why don’t you put this research right next to the pile of paper on global climate change. What a bunch of bunk. Nowshowus the financials on the funding for your research. Bet that shows more facts.

  • Kevin
    28 October 2015

    They can have my bacon when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

  • Walker Rowe
    28 October 2015

    Here in Chile eating meat is a cultural event. It’s called a barbecue, but the word is not the same as the English. It’s a weekend activity where all you eat is meat, all of it red, and enormous quantities of that. Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay all are ranked in the top 10 with regards to red meat consumption. Don’t know about everyone else but I am going to continue eat it only occasionally.

  • dougfinn
    28 October 2015

    Mae, you’re absolutely right. If we all had a little more respect for the life around us, we might all be a lot healthier. What comes around comes around.

  • Gabriel
    28 October 2015

    Eat more eggs!! Great protein…gram for gram!

  • Robbie
    27 October 2015

    If you’re smoking, Jo jarvis, why are you even reading this?

  • Dezz Nutz
    27 October 2015

    YOu are an idiot if you believer the findings of the IARC. They TORTURED the evidence to come to the Conclusion THEY wanted.

    The IARC “studied” errr, I mean looked up OTHER peoples studies and drew THEIR OWN Conclusions on 940 different items

    Only one, a chemical found in yoga pants was found not to be carcogenic (in their opinon) at all.

    See this is what happen WHEN POLITICAL Groups (NOT SCIENCE GROUPS) release findings to cheering throngs of mainstream media types, many, who have an agenda

  • Rex
    27 October 2015

    what about kangaroo meat? Supposed to be a leaner, healthier red meat- I wonder how it compares to beef etc. But yes, moderation, the First Nations peoples of Australia wouldn’t eat meat everyday. Also, some people live to their 90’s smoking everyday- I guess some people can eat a lot of red/processed meat ti their 90’s too, it just depends on your genes. But, I like to think anything man-made, whatever it is, like processed meat, is bad for you.

  • Larry Mast
    27 October 2015

    WOW ! Thank you for this info !!!

  • Eric Coopet
    27 October 2015

    Thank you Casey for clarifying this for us. Over here in the US, the media is having a field day with this one.

  • Guadalupe Jácome
    27 October 2015

    For me, as a science teacher in the far southeastern point of Europe, this was very helpful since media are making a mess with the information and raising enormous alarm. I know tomorrow my 12th grade students will ask me about it and I can give them a link to this article and let them judge for themselves (with a little help from me).
    Thank you, this was very clear and I’m sure I’ll be looking for you when other such emergencies happen.

  • Diana
    27 October 2015

    I wish I had an official determination about red meats. Your article (very good) starts saying that red meat is meat that is red. So, why is pork and lamb included in the same sentence. I also wonder about the stats in places like Spain, Italy, Germany were they eat a lot of sauseges. And places like Texas where they eat beef in their 3 meals (grilled). Also places like Argentina were they eat a lot of beef very well cooked ( also grilled). In Puerto Rico a lot of people eat salted cod fish, vienna sausages and processed corned beef as part of the regular diet. How are the stats here in Puerto Rico.

  • Jo Jarvis
    27 October 2015

    Moderation is the best policy, fashions keep changing. I don’t include smoking in this, although it hard to give up as it so addictive.

  • Mae
    27 October 2015

    Stop worrying about whether meat gives you cancer and start worrying about the 70 billion land animals that are killed every year for food. Most of these animals are factory farmed. Day old calves killed so humans can steal their mothers milk, whilst their mothers grieve, chickens kept in cages where they cant move, same with pigs kept in gestation crates for weeks on end (incidentally pigs are three times more intelligent than dogs) Baby pigs castrated without aesthetic – their teeth cut down again without aesthetic. It could be called karma that most of the foods at the worst end of the WHO scale are made from pig corpses – you reap what you sow.. Cows never let out of sheds to graze. I could go on.. Livestock farming is causing massive environmental damage. The blood, urine and faeces from the huge numbers of animals we are killing for food is causing dead zones in our oceans, rainforests are being chopped down at an acre a minute, to grown grain to feed them. Across the world there are water shortages due to animal farming being so water intensive. You should be a lot more worried about the fact that livestock farming is turning this planet into a cess pit. In addition, as livestock farming contributes a minimum of 18% to global warming (more than the whole transport system of the world including planes) We are much more likely to die from a planetary disaster. You may criticise vegans as much as you like but at least we give a s..t . .

  • Bob
    27 October 2015

    If you eat less meat best thing is to supplement caloric intake with fat. More energy per gram and staves off hunger longer.Also fat isn’t broken down to carbohydrates( Too much protein will) which leads to the next problem – replacing meat based proteins with plant based will get you much more carbohydrates and likely kill you with diabetes long before the cancer will.

  • brainiac3397
    27 October 2015

    Life might as well be carcinogenic. Won’t stop me from enjoying it.

  • Starr
    27 October 2015

    What about raising your own meat mean better right. Are talking about all red meat and sauages

  • Brandon
    27 October 2015

    People have been eating these things since forever! Switch to vegetables and we’ll surely have an article on the carcinogenic effects of spinach. Not to trivialize the matter; I’m simply saying that we’re all more than a little over-saturated with dire warnings that tell us we’ll be dying of this, that, or the other thing that we love.

    Certainly, a diet that consists of an over-abundance of red meats cannot be good for you. Nothing new there.

  • Anne-Marie Lavoie
    27 October 2015

    Dr Alain Vadeboncoeur said today on Radio-Canada that an 18% increase means that your risk of getting cancer will go up from 7% to 8.5% or so. It’s not an 18% chance of getting cancer.

  • Michael
    27 October 2015

    It’s a scam like always people I am still going to eat meat.

  • Arnaud Chiolero
    27 October 2015

    Great commentary. It helps understand risk at stake. You should send this article to the IARC.
    Arnaud Chiolero, epidemiologist

  • Liam
    27 October 2015

    Just to try and clarify extra points given some of the comments I’ve read here…

    Red meat is defined as “…unprocessed mammalian muscle meat—for example, beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, or goat meat—including minced or frozen meat” (Bouvard et al., 2015, p. 1).

    Whereas, processed meat is considered to be “…meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation” (Bouvard et al., 2015, p.1).

    The research (although full details have not yet been published to give exact information) is cross cultural including at least: 10 European countries, USA, Japan, Sweden, and Australia.

  • maria guimaraes
    27 October 2015

    very informative post, but i still am confused regarding the definition. beef jerky, smoked turkey breast and salt cod, for example, are processed according to the text i’ve read. but it isn’t mentioned in any news. are they included in the report or not? are the harmful chemicals added to the meat in the process, or are they naturally synthesized by the process itself?

  • Ed
    27 October 2015

    From what I understand; these figures come from the UK. How does the UK compare to other countries with high processed meat consumption like Germany (Sausages) and France (Saucisson)?

    How do these countries compare to low pork diet countries such as Israel and Arab countries? Is there a significantly lower percentage of bowel cancer cases in predominantly Kosher and Halal consumer populations?

    Could you tell me how fresh sausages cause cancer? Mince meat itself is not classed as processed meat so presumably there is no risk associated with fresh sausages in artificial casing (mince meat, herbs and spices). Is it because toxic preservatives are used to prevent bacteria growing on the hog, sheep or beef casings used for sausages? Therefore do you, Cancer research, recommend using artificial casing instead of natural ones, or simply could you suggest a less carcenageic preservative to use?

    Is there another way of curing meat without using Nitroso compounds (Sodium or Potassium Nitrates)? From what I have read the Sodium Nitrites are much less toxic than using saltpeter, are they also less cancerous?

    Final question, you mention that some harmful chemicals are likely to be created in the red meat itself during cooking. Would you therefore recommend eating beef and lamb steaks as rare as possible, because lets face it nobody is going to eat a 50g steak!

  • StewGreen
    27 October 2015

    Why don’t you mention “the burnt toast gives you cancer” meme ?
    Ah, cos despite similar newspaper scare stories the evidence is still very weak ..as you CR.uk point out on your Food controversies page.
    http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/diet-and-cancer/food-controversies#food_controversies7

  • Govegan
    27 October 2015

    Another article trying to find excuses to keep perpetuating bad habits. How can a Foundation that is supposed to work to cure cancer say that a carcinogen level 1 can be taken in moderation!? Lets go drink some plutonium in moderation too… because that is what healthy living is about.. ALL in moderation.

  • Jane harfield
    27 October 2015

    Shoot me now….if it is not one thing it’s another….don’t eat this and don’t eat that ….confused? You will be!

  • FrankieG
    27 October 2015

    What the statistics for countries like Italy,Spain,France and Germany who eat more of these so called processed meat as people live quite a full life as I’m still not convinced,preserving meats has been around for centries.

  • KimBrrr
    27 October 2015

    I’m a bit confused. The article information seems to suggest that nitrites used in smoking are what contributes to cancer because of how they are metabolized in the gut. But at the end, it says to replace ham with chicken because white meats aren’t a risk.

    So, does that mean white *smoked* meats and fish are ok? When we smoke turkey, we simply brine it and smoke it. They cook just as fast as the oven for the most part. But deli chicken and turkey still has nitrites in it. Anything that is slow or cold smoked (like bacon or fish) has to be preserved before smoking otherwise bacteria growth becomes a risk.

    So, home smoked turkey probably ok depending how you do it. But if you buy your turkey slices from scar Mayer, probably not ok. But the article doesn’t really differentiate. So, is white meat with nitrites ok, or no? Is it the red meat interacting with the nitrites that is bad, or the nitrites all together??

  • Perry Neheum
    27 October 2015

    Arby’s. “We STILL have the meats!”

  • Daisy Harris
    27 October 2015

    I don’t understand why a Cancer charity would post an article encouraging people to eat a group 1 carcinogen. You’d never write a blog like this about smoking.

  • ben
    27 October 2015

    Utter hogwash

  • M Roberts
    27 October 2015

    I am confused if the “processing” involves smoking and/ or nitrites why are sausages ,that in the UK use neither ,mentioned ?

  • Ronny Allan
    27 October 2015

    thanks for the great detail, the evidence based approach and the balanced view

  • JANET BENJAMIN
    27 October 2015

    What about the fact that the meat we are eating is cruelly and intensively farmed causing an animal to suffer during its short lifetime, to be pumped full of chemicals and hormones during this growing time? When are we going to recognise the damage that does in addition to your information above, I thank you in advance for reflecting and expanding your explanation. Feel free to contact the charity Compassion in Farming for a more definitive quote.

  • Michael
    27 October 2015

    are you kiddin me??? you are trying to downplay the risk of eating meat. you say: “Our advice on diet stays the same: eat plenty of fibre, fruit and vegetables; cut back on red and processed meat, and salt; and limit your alcohol intake. It might sound boring but it’s true: healthy living is all about moderation.
    Except for smoking: that’s always bad for you.”
    You actually say that, when the whole point of the World Health Organization’s study was to show that processed meat has the SAME risk as smoking cigarettes. The SAME.
    It should bother anyone with a fair amount of intelligence that you’re telling us you to eat (even a small portion) of something that is proven to be in the same health category as asbestos and arsenic.
    Not to mention countless actual studies that have proven time and time again that healthy plant based diets reduce the risk of any illness and help cure them even when its said that they can’t be cured. Oh but that is all bogus right, because that doesn’t bring any cash in.

  • Matt
    27 October 2015

    A very informative and moderate article. However, the last infographic – the one about how much meat to eat – is nonsense. Breakfast and lunch, fine, but then at dinner, it says the cut the mince in bolognese to the arbitrary amount that would bring the total to 70g. So they recommend you use 15g of mince – less mince than one slice of bacon? That amount would be almost non-existent. That’s not even worth having. A better suggestion would be to replace it with white mince.

  • Caro
    27 October 2015

    “The results showed that those who ate the most processed meat had around a 17% higher risk of developing bowel cancer” and smoking meta analysis showed that those who smoked had around an 8% higher risk of developing cancer. Both are low numbers.
    On the other hand, the humanity has smoked and eaten processed meat (smoked, cured) since the begining of time so probably developed a lot of mechanisms to deal with both. But not with exhaust from cars, coke etc.

  • Syeda
    27 October 2015

    This is a really useful article that clearly and articulately explains the findings. Thank you

  • Julie Millwood
    27 October 2015

    I’ve always heard that the rate of bowel cancers or related cancers are almost zero in 3rd world countries because of their lack of processed meats or meats containing nitrites. This would tend to buttress the claim that these can increase the amount of said cancers.

  • Daniel
    27 October 2015

    I really hope no money people have donated goes on this kind of nonsense, so far in the time I have been alive nearly everything has been cancer. So we saying people from France, Italy and Germany are at a higher risk as they eat a lot more processed meats like salami ? And smoked meats, Nonsence. Can we not look at finding a cure instead of scaremongering people.

  • Jan Brown
    27 October 2015

    Well I find this very interesting. I’m a bowel cancer survivor and rarely ate red meat or processed meats. I would usually have bacon and eggs for breakfast once a week, the occasional lamb or beef roast, once a month maybe. I ate mainly chicken & tuna as my staple diet and plenty of vegetables. Probably didn’t eat enough fruit in general but other than that, my diet was pretty good. I asked my surgeon, why me? after diagnosis and his answer was, “We are totally clueless as to why some people get bowel cancer and others don’t” so I wouldn’t sign off red meat based on this study.

  • amanda
    27 October 2015

    yum, battery farm chicken and fish coloured with dye. That won’t increase my risk of cancer compared to pasture raised beef and lamb.

  • Askari Kazmi
    27 October 2015

    The diagram showing how much meat should be eaten daily ay be re-arranged like this.
    The meat 50 gms or 70 gms is to be taken in dinners only and in luch time no animal protein is to be allowed. for detailed discussion one may contact me anytime KazmisBioscienceLabs 923212121060.

  • Sammy
    27 October 2015

    So chicken is OK? Where do chicken nuggets get classified… processed or chicken?

  • Janet
    27 October 2015

    You are influenced by the large cattle and grain producers. There is no need to publish this otherwise. We can interpret the figures.

  • Stepehn
    27 October 2015

    I’ve been trying to find out all day. Processed meat and red meat increase risk of cancer. Does this mean processed WHITE meat is increases cancer?

  • Johnoz
    27 October 2015

    Thanks it’s a lot clearer, I think that ‘hazard identification’, not ‘risk assessment’. should have been a bit more I the foreground of the briefings to journalists . And the definition of processed meat as not including fresh sausages etc could also have been a bit clearer in briefing to journalists, not that it would stop their hunger for ‘click bait’

  • Bev Kennedy
    27 October 2015

    You said “substitute ham for chicken or tuna.” That is backwards of what you mean.

  • Jo
    27 October 2015

    Sausages would not fall into the same category as many other processed meats surely as they aren’t high in nitrites – are they? Usually have a bit of sulphite & sold pretty fresh at the butcher. I would like clarification on this as my kids eat them regularly.

  • John
    27 October 2015

    You know they classify pot next to heroin lol so they are now saying meat is as dangerous as cigarettes when we have consumed meat since beinging, it’s circle of life. But sheep will be sheep.

  • Nick Emblow
    27 October 2015

    Great article explaining some of the findings here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661797/
    Given that now many processed meats are made with ascorbic acid or some other anti-oxidant (which should theoretically reduce nitrosamine formation), and the cohort studies are based on older methods of production – is there scope to suggest that the risk might be reduced in the future with better production methods? Also, why aren’t other processed foods included, like smoked fish, for example, which undoubtedly also has high amount of nitrosamine formation potential?

  • Paula
    27 October 2015

    “there’s no strong evidence linking fresh white meats such as chicken, turkey, or fish to any types of cancer”

    You should check this out: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chicken/

  • Virginia Wright
    27 October 2015

    I am not much of a red meat eater or proccessed lunch meat. The information is interesring and important Will share with family who kove to barbeque. Will also share with colleagues at school. Thank you for all the grsphs and charts which make it easier for people to clearly see the need to think about one’s regular diet.

  • Jean Burrows
    27 October 2015

    Good information, nicely balanced and very well explained.
    BUT PLEASE change the “Substitute ham for chicken or tuna” to “Replace ham with chicken or tuna”. What you have said means the opposite of what you intend. Please don’t lose credibility with sloppy English grammar.

  • Rob
    26 October 2015

    One, today’s report was from WHO. Two, its an 18% increased risk with none of the reports giving any clue on the controls for this study. I hate hot dogs and don’t really care for bacon. But al least have some honesty in your reporting.

  • Ross Vallely
    26 October 2015

    I feel it’s all a “Storm in a Hotpot”, perhaps with some underlying agenda. -Let’s face it, I don’t think this is something we didn’t already know, just as there are some who like their meat ‘carbonized’ (well, well done) in preference to those who like it virtually ‘raw’ by comparison.They have just put numbers & percentages in to ‘qualify it.’ – Also there is some support for ‘irradiated ‘ or microwaved meat -; Apparently, during WW2, RAF groundcrew on Nightfighter bases had discovered that bunging your sausages on the radar aerials & turning the set on & it would cook them! -I don’t think anyone was worrying about their health at that time. In these times, we have so much more out there that can kill us without getting stressed-out about MEAT.- I too have friends & family who have died of Bowel etc.type cancers, (my wonderful Mum just a month ago), but this News, quoted from the WHO apparently, has just blasted all over our country today & it all sounds rather ‘contrived.’- Historically scientists’ are not adverse to accepting a “funding-boost” to put forth ‘findings’ that concur with political or corporate agendas and this has all the trademarks of it. I don’t believe for a sec that this website is trying to do this, it comes from a much greater source, the Bilderburg Group perhaps, or some such powerful mafia. ~ Cheers ~

  • The Colonel
    26 October 2015

    This means fried chicken is A-OK. Saddle up kiddies!

  • Kathleen McGann
    26 October 2015

    Very informative. I especially appreciated the part, “How does red and processed meat cause cancer?” and the clarity and focus of category explanations.

  • Stacey
    26 October 2015

    It’s been known for years so this is huge news! No more sausage sizzles for fundraising then… And also, what’s so wrong with stocking up on tofu??

  • Stephen Cataldo
    26 October 2015

    Thanks, this is the most clear breakdown of the statistics I’ve seen. I gave up meat long ago, originally for idealistic reasons around the environment and how animals are treated, but have found it to be much healthier personally. A 1% lower lifetime chance of bowel cancer is a nice bonus. I’ve found it’s really worth checking out where your food comes from, whatever you’re eating, look at the farms you get it from, and then it makes it easier to get more enjoyment out of eating healthier. At first I thought it would be hard to “give up” the tons of easy processed-meat and processed-junk that got me through childhood, but eating well has turned out to be much more enjoyable and varied, and so much easier than getting on the dieting bandwagons.

  • Beverley
    26 October 2015

    That is breast cancer.

  • Beverley
    26 October 2015

    I eat meat, but smaller portions. I do eat 2 slices of uncured bacon microwaved about 4 times a week, and lamb baked in oven occasionally. I have salmon maybe once a week or some fish. I don’t like chicken much but I buy it already cooked. I am a survivor of cancer for 26 yrs and my colon has never had a polyup(sic). I will even lower this more.

  • Lewis Hardin
    26 October 2015

    Stop over thinking this news folks. Has nothing to do with cancer and everything to do with appeasing muslims.

  • Mark B
    26 October 2015

    Very nice and balanced piece. Far superior to the screaming headlines we see all over. Thank you!

  • Nina-R
    26 October 2015

    Very well written – thank you Casey!

  • Guy. In Florida
    26 October 2015

    OH…the beef lobby is quick and sneaky! Next they will resurrect another bird flu chicken scare. And by the way, check the sodium content in your restaurant burger dishes….WAY over the daily limits on many. Plenty of other meat options than processed red….just the opinion of a healthy 69 year old.

  • Sammy
    26 October 2015

    Now put it into context. What’s a diabetic suppose to do? There are a whole group of diabetics who control their blood sugar by consuming almost nothing but protein. What about heart disease and diabetes caused by increased consumption of carbohydrates? You’re going to replace that red meat with something.

  • Sandra
    26 October 2015

    Substitute ham for chicken and tuna??

  • Kim Ladin
    26 October 2015

    When you refer to “ball-park risks,” that’s a pun, right?(http://www.ballparkbrand.com/products/hot-dogs)

  • LCC
    26 October 2015

    The ACTUAL risk is around 0.5% – 1.0% per 50 grams DAILY. So if you don’t have it one day, even less. That is aside from the massive numbers of confounding variables.

  • Anna
    26 October 2015

    Fantastic article. Lots of people and the media going crazy today, saying processed meat is as bad as smoking. I think we need to teach more science in school.

  • Ken Posner
    26 October 2015

    let me get this straight, between high processed meat eaters and low meat eaters, there’s a 10 out of 1,000 or 1 percentage point difference in absolute risk of bowel cancer? This sounds like statistical noise to me

  • Craig
    26 October 2015

    I am a cancer patient. I won’t give up red meat. My advice… Don’t smoke, eat balanced diet and exercise and you won’t go far wrong. Incidentally I had a BBQ for tea tonight and it was lovely!

  • jessica
    26 October 2015

    What if I buy nitrate or nitrite free turkey lunch meat?

  • Darkling Thrush
    26 October 2015

    “What about venison and other wild game?”
    From the article, I would think it falls in with the other red meats. Category 2 if you cook it fresh, category 1 if you smoke it or make sausage. And grilling is apparently riskier than slow-cooking.

  • Jason
    26 October 2015

    If you read it properly dush bag you will see it is processed stuff that is causing all the damage…how any experts do you people need…they re all shouting processed is bad for you but yous just don’ listen…but you’ll keep me personal trainers, doctors, pharma industries and big bad food suppliers in business for years to come because you can’t cook and buy decent food :) IMHO we could do more to help others if we could help ourselves.

  • drrandom
    26 October 2015

    I tried to calculate what the actual decrease in life expectancy might be. I came up with roughly 1 day’s life expectancy decrease for an 18% increase in the likelihood of getting colo-rectal cancer, based on the US survival statistics.

    Anyone care to check?

  • Randy R
    26 October 2015

    What awful subjectivity to compare something like smoking to eating meat to rationalize eating meat being ‘not as bad’. This is supposed to be a science blog, remain objective please.

  • chris
    26 October 2015

    What about venison and other wild game?

  • Joe
    26 October 2015

    2013 The UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger. May 2015 The UN advocates eating bugs as a way to offset livestock production to decrease global warming. October 2015 UN states that eating processed meats is as bad as smoking tobacco and asbestos.
    I think the UN is smoking crack! Seems like a theme with them. If they are so hot about eating nasty bugs, let them set the example by only serving them insects at their elaborate banquets and dinners first before demanding the rest of the world eat unclean things so they can live their lavish lifestyles! What a bunch of self-important hypocrytes.

  • Henry Scowcroft
    26 October 2015

    DocMills – It’s not accurate to say that all ‘UK sausages’ (compared to, say, continental salamis) are ‘are not classified as processed meat’ – for example, shop-bought ‘English-style’ sausages contain extra salt and preservatives, meaning they fall under IARC’s classification as ‘processed’ (you can read their Q&A here).

    Karen – Our BBQ events are all about getting friends and family together to help raise funds for our research. We certainly don’t ask people to host a BBQ every day, and we do challenge people to look beyond the boring burger and sausages combo.

    Deb, yes, IARC are including processed chicken and turkey as ‘processed meat’ (even though chicken/turkey aren’t ‘red’ meat) – the key thing to bear in mind is that ‘processed’ foods are foods that have been altered in some way to enhance their flavour or aid preservation. You can read more in IARC’s Q&A.

    Henry Scowcroft
    Cancer Research UK

  • DocMills
    26 October 2015

    The human race has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to take advantage of cooked food, including red meat.

    It is highly improbable that evolution over this length of time hasn’t included adaptations to any health risks that this may involve.

    As such, the claim that unprocessed red meat causes cancer requires ‘extraordinary evidence’ which is something current epidemiological studies do not provide.

  • Jean-Marc Desperrier
    26 October 2015

    Dear Christopher Key, a study usually is a study, but the “China Study” is actually a book, which content has received some fair amount of criticism for, whilst containing some interesting informations, being way to assertive about the link between meat and cancer, and “forgetting” a lot of things which make the situation far from being as clear cut as it’s author claim it is. See here for a fairly complete evaluation of that book and it’s claims : http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/ “The China Study: Fact or Fallacy?”

  • Christopher Kay
    26 October 2015

    The fact that eating ANY animal products increases cancer risk has been known since the China Study was published in 2005. You have allowed your own bias to play down the influence diet has on cancer risk. Cancer Research UK, your advice should be to adopt a plant-based diet and not simply “cut down”. Animal products are as carcinogenic as smoking and asbestos whether you wish to acknowledge this fact or not.

  • deb
    26 October 2015

    You put salami, sausage and bacon as processed meats, what about chicken and turkey processed meats? Cold cuts, Ham, Pastrami??

  • Gerard Blair
    26 October 2015

    Excellent infographic – very informative

  • Karen
    26 October 2015

    If you have known about this for some time why were you encouraging people to have BBQ’s to raise money for you in the summer? Would it not be a better idea for you to promote not eating animals?

  • DocMills
    26 October 2015

    UK sausages, made with fresh meat, are not classified as processed meat