Does Eating Processed Meat Cause Cancer? The W.H.O Finally Gave an Answer.

As of Monday, October 25 the World Health Organization (W.H.O) gave the results to a decade long study. Does processed meat cause cancer? Many people are being diagnosed with cancer and doctors and scientists are struggling to find out why.

This study included 900 factors and a panel of 22 highly regarded scientists. The answer was yes, processed meat causes cancer. Well, what exactly is processed meat? Processed meat includes things such as bacon, hot dogs, and ham. The W.H.O define processed meats as, “transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation." Hot dogs can have a use by date of 6 months!

Well just how bad are processed meats? The scientists put processed meat into a category 1. The same category as tobacco smoke and alcohol. Processed meat is estimated to contribute to about 30,000 deaths per year, which is considerably less than other sources. They are recommending considerably limiting your processed meat consumption though. Scientists are saying that red meat also causes cancer, although the evidence was less than that of processed meat. Red meat was classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the W.H.O.

What is red meat? Red meat includes muscle meat such as beef, veal, pork, lamb and mutton. Red meat already has a warning label stamped on it by dietitians for being the leading cause of heart diseases. What exactly is causing it to be cancerous? The risks are in the chemicals produced during the cooking or processing of meats, but could also be direct consumption. If we shouldn’t eat red and processed meats, what should we eat?

The Caner’s Society recent guidelines include cutting red meat portion sizes at the minimum and completly avoiding processed meats. They are recommending fish, poultry and beans instead. A quote from Gapstur, the vice president for epidemiology, said that “people should be moving toward a more plant based diet and choose fruits, vegetables, and beans as alternatives to meat. The quote sure makes vegans and vegetarians happy as they now make up 7.5% of the U.S population as of 2015. Many doctors are recommending a plant based diets as 2015 ends and 2016 starts.

What type of cancer does it cause? The main cancers were colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. It should be noted that the agreement of the panel was not unanimous.

Disclaimer: All information are facts provided from the sources listed or the New York Times. This article is not opinionated or biased.