{"id":26881,"date":"2021-03-17T10:06:41","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T10:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=17010"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:15:44","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:15:44","slug":"how-does-processed-and-red-meat-cause-cancer-and-how-much-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/how-does-processed-and-red-meat-cause-cancer-and-how-much-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"How does processed and red meat cause cancer and how much matters?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post was first published in 2019, but has been reviewed and updated in March 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not new news that processed and red meat are linked to bowel cancer. But in 2019, Cancer Research UK scientists took a closer look at how much<\/em> meat might be enough to increase bowel cancer risk.<\/p>\n

The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology<\/em><\/a>, looked at whether people who eat an average of 76 grams of processed and red meat a day \u2013 approximately 3 slices of ham \u2013 are still at increased risk of bowel cancer. This is similar to the average amount people in the UK eat each day, and falls in a somewhat grey area within government guidelines \u2013 which state anyone who eats more than 90 grams a day should cut this to no more than 70 grams a day.<\/p>\n

The main takeaway from the study was that even moderate meat-eating increases bowel cancer risk. So, what does this mean for a nation famed for its fry ups?<\/p>\n

What are \u2018red\u2019 and \u2018processed\u2019 meat?<\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s clear up some definitions.<\/p>\n

\u2018Red\u2019 meat is (as you might expect), any meat that\u2019s a dark red colour before it\u2019s cooked \u2013 this obviously means meats like beef and lamb, but also includes pork.<\/p>\n

\u2018Processed\u2019 meat is meat that\u2019s 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\u2019t include fresh burgers or mince.<\/p>\n

Both of these types of meat are distinct from \u2018white\u2019 meats, like fresh chicken or turkey, and fish (neither of which appear to increase your risk of cancer).<\/p>\n

How do we know processed and red meat cause cancer?<\/h2>\n

The evidence linking processed and red meat to cancer has been stacking up for over a decade. And in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) \u2013 a group of experts that review and report on research evidence \u2013 classified processed meat as a \u2018definite\u2019 cause of cancer<\/a> (or Group 1 carcinogen) \u2013 the same group that includes smoking and alcohol. And red meat is a \u2018probable\u2019 cause of cancer (or a Group 2a carcinogen) \u2013 the same group as night shift work.<\/p>\n

\"Meat<\/p>\n

Copy this link and share our graphic<\/a>. Credit: Cancer Research UK<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While this may sound alarming, it\u2019s important to remember that these groups show how confident IARC is<\/strong> that red and processed meat cause cancer, not how many cancer cases they cause,<\/strong> as we wrote when we covered a previous IARC decision on diesel emissions<\/a>, and interviewed one of our experts in the causes of cancer.<\/p>\n

As Professor David Phillips \u2013 a Cancer Research UK-funded carcinogen expert from King\u2019s College London \u2013 explains, \u201cIARC does \u2018hazard identification\u2019, not \u2018risk assessment\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds quite technical, but what it means is that IARC isn\u2019t in the business of telling us how potent something is in causing cancer \u2013 only whether it does so or not\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

To take an analogy, think of banana skins. They definitely can cause accidents, explains Phillips, but in practice this doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t generally as severe as, say, being in a car accident.<\/p>\n

But under a hazard identification system like IARC\u2019s, \u2018banana skins\u2019 and \u2018cars\u2019 would come under the same category \u2013 they both definitely do cause accidents.<\/p>\n

To put things in perspective, let\u2019s look at how processed meat stacks up against smoking.<\/p>\n

\"Tobacco<\/p>\n

Copy this link and share our graphic<\/a>. Credit: Cancer Research UK<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

How does processed and red meat cause cancer?<\/h2>\n

So far, research has linked 3 chemicals to increased bowel cancer risk<\/a>. These chemicals are either naturally found in meat, added during processing or produced when cooking:<\/p>\n