Having Red, Processed Meat May up Risk of Colorectal Cancer: Study

According to a study, consuming as much as a thin slice of bacon may increase your risk of bowel cancer.

A study suggests that even moderate consumption of red and processed meat may increase the risk of colorectal (bowel) cancer. The study shows that eating even a thin slice of bacon may up your risk of bowel cancer by a significant amount.

According to a report by CNN, processed meat poses a bigger risk of cancer than red meat. Processed meat has also been established as being carcinogenic to human beings by the World Health Organization in 2015.

The study suggests that consumption of every 25 grams of processed meat ups your cancer risk by 20 percent and consumption of 50 grams of red meet increases cancer risk by 19 percent.

The study monitored the diets of half a million people in the UK between the ages of 40 to 69 over the course of 5 years. The results showed that over 2,000 people developed colorectal cancer.

The study also mentioned that people who consume red and processed meat more than 4 times a week are more likely to contract bowel cancer as compared to those who consume it only twice a week.

Another reason that has been attributed to contraction of bowel cancer is alcohol consumption. Consumption of fibre from breakfast cereal and bread has been found to be instrumental in reducing the risk colorectal cancer.

Researchers suggest, that reduction of consumption of red and processed meat from 90 grams to 70 grams, which is the average consumption in the UK, will significantly cut down the risk of bowel cancer.

The report by CNN, states that colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer excluding all skin cancers and over 50,000 deaths are expected to occur in 2019 due to colorectal cancer.