Research suggests link between processed meats and cancer

New research suggesting processed meats such as bacon and sausage are as dangerous as cigarettes was met with skepticism by at least one Merced butcher.

Local medical experts said the research could lead to healthier lifestyle changes, but that the findings are insufficient to justify advising the public to stop eating meat.

According to the research released this week by the World Health Organization, processed meats – which include hot dogs, ham, sausages, canned meat and corned beef, among other products – are associated with colon cancer. Researchers also found an association between red meat – such as beef, veal, pork, lamb, horse and goat – and cancers of the colon, pancreas and prostate.

Luis Morales, owner of Carniceria Rio Grande on Ninth Street in Merced, said the findings based on “limited evidence” do not convince him.

He said he can possibly see effects from processed meats because of the preservatives used to enhance flavor and color, but the association of cancer with red meat is hard to believe, he said.

“People have been eating red meat for centuries,” Morales said. “As long as the meat is good quality, I think it’s safe.

“Like any food, everything should be eaten with measure,” he added.

The study places processed meats in the same danger category as smoking and asbestos exposure. However, the experts made no specific dietary recommendations, noting there was not enough data to define how much processed meat is too dangerous. The risk rises with the amount consumed, according to the research.

An analysis of 10 of the 800 studies taken into account suggested that a 50-gram portion of processed meat daily – that’s about 1.75 ounces – increases the risk of colorectal cancer over a lifetime by about 18 percent. An ounce and three-quarters is roughly equivalent to a hot dog or a few slices of bologna, depending on how thinly it is sliced.

Dr. Parminder Sidhu, a medical oncologist at Mercy Medical Center in Merced, said the key is in finding a balance, and drawing away from eating meat on a regular basis.

“It’s very hard to ask people to not eat meat,” Sidhu said. “And it’s not like people who never eat meat don’t get cancer. That’s not true.”

But how the meat is cooked can make a difference, he said. Experts have long warned of the dangers of certain chemicals used to cure meat, such as nitrites and nitrates, which the body converts into cancer-causing compounds. Grilling or smoking meat can create suspected carcinogens, experts have said.

Any product or method that causes damage to the cell wall, such as burning, will increase the risk of cancers, he said. Sidhu said he expects such findings to result in healthier dietary changes in the long run. But as of now, they are not enough to tell the public to pass on meat, he said.

Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer in the United States is about 1 in 20, or 5 percent, according to the cancer society. By the WHO’s calculations, having a cold-cut sandwich every day would only raise that to around 6 percent.

“These findings further support current public health recommendations to limit intake of meat,” said Dr. Christopher Wild, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the WHO. “At the same time, red meat has nutritional value.

“Therefore, these results are important in enabling governments and international regulatory agencies to conduct risk assessments, in order to balance the risks and benefits of eating red meat and processed meat and to provide the best possible dietary recommendations.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Research suggests link between processed meats and cancer."