Ham and sausages cause cancer World Health Organisation

The World Health Organisation has formally classified processed meat, such as ham and sausages, as carcinogenic

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organisation, had evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.

After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated scientific literature, the working group of 22 experts from ten countries classified processed meat as carcinogenic to humans 'based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer'.

The experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” says Dr Kurt Straif, Head of the IARC Monographs Programme.

“In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”

The IARC said that according to the most recent estimates by the Global Burden of Disease Project, an independent academic research organisation, about 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat.

And despite some media reports, the IARC says the fact that processed meats have been ranked as carcinogenic to humans along with tobacco smoking and asbestos does not mean that they are all equally dangerous.

'The IARC classifications describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer, rather than assessing the level of risk,' it stressed.

The working group said the consumption of red meat was probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), 'based on limited evidence that the consumption of red meat causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect'

This association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.

The IARC Working Group considered more than 800 studies that investigated associations of more than a dozen types of cancer with the consumption of red meat or processed meat in many countries and populations with diverse diets. The most influential evidence came from large prospective cohort studies conducted over the past 20 years.

According to the IARC, processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation. Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meats may also contain other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat by-products such as blood. Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces