The media had a field day when the World Health Organization (WHO) put out a notice in October that processed meat and red meat are carcinogenic. Words have been chosen to insinuate that eating processed meat and red meat is just as risky as smoking cigarettes, and some people have misconstrued the message to mean those who eat red or processed meat will get cancer. So what are the facts? Here’s what you need to know about what has been discovered through studies done by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
What are red meats?
Red meats, as defined by the WHO, are all mammalian muscle tissue, including pork, lamb, veal, mutton, horse and goat. Red meats have been classified by the WHO in Group 2A – Probably Carcinogenic to Humans.
What are processed meats?
As defined by the WHO, processed meat includes any type of meat (poultry or red meat) that has been transformed through salting, fermentation, smoking, curing or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation. A common curing process that has long been suspected of being carcinogenic is the addition of nitrates and nitrites to meats like bacon and sausage. Processed meats have been classified in Group 1 – Carcinogenic to Humans.
Eating processed meat is NOT the same as smoking cigarettes.
The reason that cigarettes have been linked to processed meat is because processed meat has been moved to Group 1 in the classification system used by the WHO to define whether or not substances are carcinogenic. However, these are very general groups. Substances placed in Group 1 are simply defined as being carcinogenic to humans. The following group, Group 2A, is defined as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Therefore, there are no categories that define exactly how carcinogenic a substance is.
The Cancer Research UK put together an excellent infographic on the cancer risk of smoking vs eating processed and red meats:
What types of cancers have been linked with eating processed meats and red meat?
The IARC concluded that processed meats cause colorectal cancer, and also that they possibly cause stomach cancer, but this evidence is inconclusive. They also concluded that red meat probably causes colorectal cancer and possibly pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer, but the evidence is limited for the latter two.
How much processed meat and red meat can I safely eat?
The WHO still doesn’t have recommendations on how much is safe to eat. All they recommend at this point is that people limit their intake of these meats. Although official guidelines haven’t been established, other researchers have ventured to make these recommendations. Doctors that study nutrition have made recommendations on red meat varying from 1 to 2 servings per week and no more than 1 to 2 servings of processed meats per month. According to the CDC, a serving of meat should be about the size of a deck of cards, or around 3 ounces.
As the old saying goes, all things in moderation, but when it comes to certain meats, some of us may need to redefine the meaning of moderation. Read an FAQ published by the WHO on the link between meats and cancer here.
