Does Bacon Really Cause Cancer?

A study conducted by the World Health Organization has supposedly discovered that eating processed meat is just as damaging to human health as smoking or drinking alcohol. According to the WHO, consuming just 50 g of processed meat a day – which is equivalent to two slices of bacon or a single sausage – can increase the probability of bowel cancer by as much as 18 percent.

Health experts around the world are now listing processed meat as the highest of five cancer-causing substances, along with alcohol, cigarettes, and asbestos.

However, this information does not seem to add up when looking at the amount of processed meat the average American citizen consumes daily, and the deadliness of colon cancers in the US in the last 30 years. Lung and colon cancer death rates among men have respectively declined by as much as 39 and 54 percent, and among women, 15 and 53 percent.

And while it is certainly a good idea to moderate the consumption of processed meat, it’s probably best to put this study into perspective before blaming the bacon industry for colon cancer.