Processed meat has long been suspected as harmful to one's health. (Photo : Reuters)
A new study by the United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) discovered that processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and sausage cause cancer, while red meat also likely does. It is one of the biggest challenges to the global meat industry, and negative reactions in the United States are predicted among meat companies, some scientists, and fans of bacon double cheeseburgers.
A panel of 22 international experts drafted the report. WHO researchers examined decades of studies on the connection between red/processed meat and cancer.
The panel analyzed data that might show red meat causes cancer, including animal experiments and human health studies. Due to a split decision it concluded that red meat might cause cancer.
The U.S. beef industry is worth $95 billion. Both meat companies and some scientists have questioned if the WHO panel's report is backed up with solid evidence.
WHO researchers learned that adding 3.5 ounces (99 grams) of red meat to one's daily diet increased the risk of colon cancer by 17 percent. Eating 1.8 ounces (51 grams) more of processed meat increased the risk by 18 percent, according to The Washington Post.
The report's findings have been criticized as many of the studies were based on epidemiological (observational) studies. In addition, several conclusions were founded on "false positives." In other words, they wrongly concluded that a certain factor caused cancer.
Besides the U.S. meat industry and some scientists questioning the WHO report's validity, many Net citizens were shocked, disappointed, or doubtful about the studies.
Several people went on social media to share their perspectives. One Twitter user joked that people should "give up science" instead of bacon, another called it a "sad day" for lovers of the pork product, and yet another tweeted that WHO had declared a "war on bacon," according to E! Online.
Some experiments have shown that there are no health benefits of reducing or stopping meat consumption. They were conducted by the Women's Health Initiative and the Polyp Prevention Trial.
Jonathan Schoenfeld was the co-author of an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article. He argued that eating an excessive amount of meat is probably unwise, but the health effects of eating meat might be small.
This video lists 15 facts about processed meats:
