Toxic Bacon
A new study reveals that even small amounts of processed meat increase the risk of breast cancer
The large UK-based study that analysed dietary and health data from over 260,000 women found that post-menopausal women who eat just 9g of processed meat per week (bacon, sausages, burgers, meat pies, sausage rolls etc.) have 20 per cent higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who don’t eat any processed meat. That means even an infrequent consumption of processed meat, such as three bacon rashers or two sausages a week, can considerably increase your risk.
Professor Naveed Sattar, the study co-author, from the University of Glasgow, told The Times: ‘In addition to the previously known effects of processed meat on other kinds of cancer, this adds further evidence that it may have a deleterious effect on breast cancer, particularly in post-menopausal women.”
Anderson JJ et al., 2017. Red and processed meat consumption and breast cancer: UK Biobank cohort study and meta-analysis. European Journal of Cancer. 90: 73–82.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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