Consuming 50 grams of processed meat — about one hot dog per day — increases your risk for colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancers by almost 20%, the lawsuit claims.
Hot dogs, bacon, and deli meat are coming under fire by a group of California physicians who cite their health risks.
“Consuming 50 grams of processed meat—about the size of one hot dog—per day increases the risk for colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, death from heart disease, and diabetes by 18, 19, 24, and 32 percent, respectively,” the complaint filed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine stated.
The lawsuit argues the state should apply a warning to processed meat to comply with Proposition 65, an initiative passed in 1986 to warn consumers about products that could cause cancer, as well as birth defects or reproductive harm. In 2015, hot dogs, bacon, and processed deli meats were classified as “carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer according to a statement from the committee.
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Processed Meat and Colon Cancer Risk
Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
“We know red meat, processed meat puts you at risk,” says Dr. Heather Yeo, colorectal surgeon and surgical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian. “In countries where they eat a lot of processed foods, like in Japan where they eat a lot of cured meats, there is high incidence of gastrointestinal cancers.”
Processed meat includes hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage, and some deli meats, according to the American Cancer Society. It refers to meat that has been treated in some way to preserve or flavor it. Processes include salting, curing, fermenting, and smoking. Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb, and goat.
“I think part of the problem is how we process the meat,” says Dr. Stephen Freeland, Director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
To put the numbers in perspective, 50 grams of processed meat is the equivalent of 1 hot dog or about four strips of bacon. Overall, the lifetime risk of someone developing colon cancer is 5%. By regularly eating 50 grams of processed meat a day, a person would raise their average lifetime risk to almost 6%.
Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, American Cancer Society managing director of nutrition and physical activity, says, “We should be limiting red and processed meat to help reduce colon cancer risk, and possibly, the risk of other cancers. The occasional hot dog or hamburger is okay.”
Constance Costas is a writer for SurvivorNet.