Last updated on June 13th, 2024 at 05:13 pm
A new report by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Cancer Research (IACR) is causing quite a bit of controversy for labeling processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon and ham as carcinogenic, as well as claiming that red meat is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The IACR said the risk of developing colorectal cancer from eating processed meat remains small but rises with the amount consumed. Consuming red meat was linked to colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer, according to the IARC report.
Meanwhile, the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) said that classifying red and processed meat as cancer “hazards” defies common sense, and numerous studies show there is no correlation between meat and cancer. NAMI said there are many more studies showing the health benefits of balanced diets that include meat.
Betsy Booren, Ph.D., NAMI VP of scientific affairs, said that the IACR “tortured the data to ensure a specific outcome…Red and processed meat are among 940 agents reviewed by IARC and found to pose some level of theoretical ‘hazard.’ Only one substance, a chemical in yoga pants, has been declared by IARC not to cause cancer.”
She continued that IARC’s statement “simply cannot be applied to people’s health because it considers just one piece of the health puzzle: theoretical hazards. Risks and benefits must be considered together before telling people what to eat, drink, drive, breathe or where to work.”
Also reacting to the report, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommended consumers in the U.S. should vary their daily protein choices by including lean meats, poultry and fish along with plants sources like beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. Consumption of processed meats like ham, bacon and hot dogs, which are often high in saturated fat and sodium, should be limited.
