© 2024 Peoria Public Radio
A joint service of Bradley University and Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Processed meat cancer link should be taken with a grain of salt

By now, you’ve probably heard several news accounts about the World Health Organization report that associates the eating of processed meat with a higher risk of cancer.  A food scientist at the University of Illinois says all that needs to be taken in context.  

The WHO study looked at accumulated research and concluded that eating a 50 gram portion of processed meat, perhaps a hot dog or two or three slices of bacon, can increase the risk of colon cancer by 18 %.  

But Professor Emeritus John Erdman with the U of I’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition says that increase is a percentage of the normal lifetime risk of colon cancer, which in the US is about 4.5%.

“That would potentially increase the risk of cancer by less than 0.5% worldwide. So, you have a relative risk increase, but it’s a risk from a small number to begin with.”

Erdman says it’s still a good idea not to eat too much processed meat, and not to eat it every day. He thinks the WHO’s other conclusion, that red meat has a “probable” link to cancer, may be an overreach.  

But Erdman says it’s a good idea to eat meat in moderate amounts, and eat more vegetables. Other research, including Erdman’s own studies, found that eating 3 to 5 servings a week of vegetables like broccoli and Brussel sprouts can decrease the risk of many different cancers.