The World Health Organization is preparing to publish a report by the World Cancer Research Fund International — a leading global authority on cancer prevention research related to diet, weight, and physical activity — that strongly advises limiting the amount of processed meats in the diet to prevent cancer, according to The Telegraph.
“The WCRF advises that people can reduce their bowel cancer risk by eating no more than 500 grams (cooked weight) per week of red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb,” the reports states.
It is expected to list processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” — the highest of five possible rankings, the same classification as cigarettes, arsenic, asbestos, and alcohol.
The WCRF, and other health authorities, have warned for several years that there is “strong evidence” that consuming a lot of red meat can cause bowel cancer. But it now says there is “strong evidence” even small quantities of processed meats increase cancer risk.
Cooking meat producers cancer-causing substances, called “polyaroamic hydrocabons,” while preserving it — by smoking, curing, salting, or by adding preservatives — can also introduce carcinogens, experts say.
Processed meats are also often manufactured with a carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrite, used as a color fixer to turn packaged meats a bright red color so they look fresh. The chemical can result in the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines in the human body.