Processed Meat and Colon Cancer, Yep

Hold the bacon. Also, hold the sausages. In fact, hold all the processed meat, which according to the World Health Organization increases the risk of colon cancer. How much?  The New York Times reports that a person’s risk of colorectal cancer rises by a factor of about 1.1 or 1.2 for every serving of processed meat consumed per day, or, according to the WHO report, diets high in processed meat contribute to about 30,000 deaths per year around the world. What about plain old red meat?  The experts declared that “probably” carcinogenic based on “limited evidence.” The Times reports that the association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but that diets high in red meat were also linked to pancreatic and prostate cancer.  The Cancer Society’s most recent nutrition and physical activity guidelines emphasize choosing fish, poultry or beans as alternatives to processed and red meat.