Processed meat can cause cancer – WHO

The World Health Organisation on Monday linked the consumption of red and processed meats to cancer.

While previous studies have warned that red and processed meats are high in saturated fat and capable of raising the blood cholesterol in the long term, this is the first time, the WHO will be making a pronouncement on the carcinogenicity of processed meat.

The report, published in the Lancet Oncology, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a department of the WHO, relied on evidence from many studies which associated processed meat to colon cancer.

Some 22 scientists who authored the WHO report declared that eating red meat, hot dogs, ham and other forms of processed meat is “carcinogenic to humans,” saying eating 50 grammes of processed meat each day could increase the risk of colon cancer by 18 per cent.

"These results are important in enabling governments and international regulatory agencies to conduct risk assessments, in order to balance the risks and benefits of eating red meat and processed meat and to provide the best possible dietary recommendations,” said Christopher Wild, head of the WHO’s cancer agency in a statement.

According to estimates cited by the WHO, about 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide can be attributed to diets that are high in processed meat.

That’s a small fraction of the 8.2 million deaths caused by cancer in 2012, according to the latest WHO data.

Though, the authors say the risks are relatively small, the WHO has said processed meat is as toxic as smoking cigarette and asbestos. Unprocessed red meat such as steak and lamb shanks is classified as “probably carcinogenic.”

Processed meat, according to the international body is any type of meat that is salted, cured or smoked to enhance its flavor or preserve it.