Bacon and ham products should carry cancer warnings, experts have said.
Scientists are calling for these meats to carry health warnings similar to those on cigarettes after research has shown they are linked to a higher risk of cancer.
Processed meats are associated with cancer because they are usually preserved with chemicals called nitrites – compounds which can harm the body when consumed through processed meats, studies have reported.
Prior research has shown that processed meats can trigger the development of bowel cancer – a type of cancer becoming more prevalent among the younger population.
- Eating ultra processed food could cause changes to the brain which could drive overeating
- Ultra processed foods linked with changes in brain regions tied to overeating
Processed meats were classified as a group one carcinogen almost 10 years ago by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
This highlights that processed meats can trigger the development of cancer and they are categorised in the same group as asbestos and tobacco.
For years, campaigners have been calling for the government to regulate or ban carcinogenic preservatives used in bacon and ham.
Otherwise known as nitrites, these preservatives are used in bacon and ham to help them keep their pink colour and develop flavour.
However, they are continuously linked to cancer every year in the UK.
- Demonising all ultra-processed food oversimplifies the issue, say experts who found perception of food plays a part in overeating
- Ultra-processed foods addiction more likely than alcohol or tobacco addictions among older adults
Once in the body, nitrites can develop into nitrosamines – potent carcinogens that damage DNA.
This damage can trigger genetic errors that can cause cells to divide uncontrollably, resulting in the formation of tumours, particularly in the colon.
Over the past decade, nitrites in processed meats have been linked to 54,000 cases of colorectal cancer in the UK.
