The new meat rules: We reveal which types are the riskiest for cancer
It was bad news for bacon sandwich lovers yesterday.
Processed meat - including the humble rasher, burgers and sausages - is as big a cancer threat as cigarettes, global health chiefs warned.
The new World Health Organisation report classified processed meat as carcinogenic alongside arsenic and asbestos.
The report also classified red meat as ‘probably carcinogenic’ – one rank below – but added that it does have some nutritional benefits.
Scroll down for video
The World Health Organisation says eating just 50g of processed meat a day increases the risk of bowel cancer by 18 per cent. 50g of meat includes two slices of shop bought ham, 10 slices of chorizo and half a hot dog - or 1.7 meatballs or an eighth of a pack of chicken roll
THE NEW MEAT RULES
The World Health Organisation said eating just 50g of processed meat a day – less than one sausage – increases the risk of bowel cancer by 18 per cent.So what does 50g look like?
- Half a hot dog
- 1.7 shop bought meatballs
- 10 slices chorizo
- 2 slices smoked ham
- 1.5 slices cured ham
- One-eighth of a pack of chicken roll
- 5 slices of salami
- Half a pack of salt beef
Government guidelines introduced in 2011 recommend that adults eat no more than 70g of red or processed meat each day.
This is equivalent to one small sausage or two rashers of bacon a day - or one lamb chop every other day.
But this is too high, according to the WHO’s announcement yesterday - and the Government may now revise it down.
Following the report, experts are now urging the public to avoid processed meat where possible and to have a bean salad for lunch rather than a BLT.
Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK's epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, said: ‘We've known for some time about the probable link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer, which is backed by substantial evidence.
RELATED ARTICLES
Just two rashers of bacon a day raises your risk of cancer:... 
The best way to fight cancer? Tell it to go to hell! When... 
Tragedy as mother-of-two, 32, dies just days after being... 
What your TONGUE says about your health: Leading expert...
Share this article
Share 3.3k shares
Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK's epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, is now urging the public to avoid processed meat where possible and 'to have a bean salad for lunch rather than a BLT'
‘This decision doesn't mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat.
‘But if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down.
This decision doesn't mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat. ‘But if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK's epidemiologist'You could try having fish for your dinner rather than sausages, or choosing to have a bean salad for lunch over a BLT.
‘Eating a bacon bap every once in a while isn't going to do much harm - having a healthy diet is all about moderation. .
Similarly, Cancer Research UK urged people to cut down on bacon and sausages at breakfast, swapping ham sandwiches for chicken or tuna, and adding extra beans or vegetables to a bolognaise instead of beef.
The World Cancer Research Fund added studies also show that people who eat a lot of red meat tend to eat fewer plant-based foods, so they benefit less from their cancer-protective properties.
WHY IS PROCESSED MEAT SO BAD?
Processed meat refers to meat that has been salted, cured, fermented, smoked, or has gone through any other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation.
This includes ham, salami, chorizo, corned beef, biltong or beef jerky - as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces.
It does not include most mince from butchers and supermarkets, but sausages and burgers count unless they are home made.
This is because natural or chemical preservatives are added in the process.
Nitrates and Nitrites
Processed meat contains sodium nitrite (E250) and and sodium nitrate (E251), which are salts added to the meat to preserve it.
In the body, they turn into nitrites, where they can form compounds called nitrosamines that can damage DNA.
They are linked with a raised risk of acute leaukaemia.
Haem iron
Red meat contains a compound called haem, which is part of haemoglobin - the molecule which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues.
It is vital for development and normal cell functioning.
However, the World Cancer Research Fund warns it may damage the lining of the bowel.
A 2011 study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Treatment concluded that red meat promotes pre-cancer lesions forming in the bowel.
It said the exact cause of this was unknown, but that haem iron in the meat sped up the process by triggering the formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds.
High temperatures
When meat is fried, roasted or grilled at high temperature, it can produce cancer-causing compounds.
What is a problem is how people cook - because if you burn anything it produces pyrolysins - which are known to cause mutations of the colonic cells.
So if you are going to have a BBQ, don't burn the meat to death.
'MEAT HAS BEEN DEMONISED,' SAYS LEADING COLORECTAL SURGEON
Meat has become a scapegoat, according to Roger Leicester, Director of Endoscopy at St George's Hospital and director of the SW London Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.
In fact, Mr Leicester, who is also a former secretary of the British Society of Gastroenterology, says cutting out red meat is known to cause iron deficiency.
He claims that chocolate - full of sugar and fat - is a more likely cancer-causing culprit...
This because there has been no clear published evidence to implicate lean red meat in causing cancer - despite the constant warnings from charities and scientists.
'In fact, in my opinion, chocolate could be more of a danger,' he told MailOnnline.
Very high intakes of sugar and saturated fat are much more of a problem, but no one ever suggests we should give up chocolate, which is laden with sugar loaded with fat.
That would be too unpopular.
One doctor claims that chocolate - full of sugar and fat - is a more likely cancer-causing culprit...
Man is an omnivore. Red meat is very much part of my diet, and I eat it four or five times a week.
You can’t beat a good steak, or a Sunday roast beef, and a bacon butty is usually on the menu at the weekend.
I don't personally feel lean red meat in any quantity is going to be a problem and we should stick to the government's recommendations of not consuming more than 500g of red meat, including processed meat in a week (70g a day).
What is a problem is how people cook - because if you burn anything it produces pyrolysins and we know these cause mutations of the colonic cells.
So if you are going to have a BBQ, don't burn the meat to death.
And when it comes to processed meat, remember it has a higher salt and fat content.
So have bacon or salami in moderation, and switch to lean red meat products.
What worries me is that with all the scare stories surrounding meat we are ignoring other risk factors
I see large numbers of patients with constipation where the bowel is exposed to harmful substances in the stool, and the longer a patient suffers, the greater the health damage.
If you reduce the amount of sugar and fat in your diet you will reduce your risk of bowel cancer and a whole lot of other deadly conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Instead we get all these scary stories saying 'Don't eat red meat' when there is no evidence that red meat causes bowel cancer.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKCVlrm1tI6aqa2hk6Gybn%2BRcmhubmFkoamxjKecsGWdmq61edGuo56rXZrFsbHRrapmr5Gnu261zZypnpmjmsBur8eapZydXZiur6%2FEq2Srnaaarq1507Knnqtdp7a0t8ieqq1mmKm6rQ%3D%3D