Processed Meat’s Cancer Association Found to Depend on Its NITRITE Content

In 2015 , the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meats as Group 1 Carcinogens with sufficient evidence of causing human cancer. A new review refines this, finding evidence strength varies with nitrite content.

WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) defines processed meat as meat treated by curing, salting, smoking, fermentation, or other methods preserving and enhancing flavor . Examples include sausages, pastırma, ham, sucuk, and canned beef.

Some manufacturers cure meat, enhance color, or prolong shelf life with sodium nitrite . Not all processed meat contains it: British and Irish sausages do not, while sucuk, salami, and sausages from the USA and continental Europe do.

Lower-nitrite processed products, including certain hams and bacons, have recently become available to consumers.

Focusing on Nitrites Strengthens the Evidence

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast (QUB), UK's Institute for Global Food Security, reviewed recent studies linking processed meat with colon and rectal (large bowel) cancers .

Only half the studies provided evidence of an association. Restricting analysis to human studies specifically testing nitrite-containing processed meat increased this to nearly two thirds (% 65).

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Should Refine Classification

Researchers believe nitrite-containing and nitrite-free meats should be distinguished and their risks evaluated separately.

The UK government recommends limiting processed meat to 70 grams daily, the country's average per-person consumption.

The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research 2019 report recommends weekly 3 moderate red-meat portions and little, if any, processed meat.

- You may be interested: How is a chemical identified as carcinogenic (cancer-causing)?

Assessing Each Type of Processed Meat

Researchers hope future colorectal cancer studies evaluate each meat separately rather than as one group.

They also emphasize further research to determine whether processed meat directly causes cancer.

Diets involve so many variables!.. Nitrite evidence nevertheless shows a strong link between nitrite-containing products such as sausages and sucuk and colorectal cancer.

Readers noted IARC does not imply sodium-nitrite-containing meats carry the same risk as other members of the carcinogen group. Findings show processed meats do not all pose equal risk. Consumers can therefore check or ask about nitrites when buying.

Finally, of approximately 862 thousand annual colorectal cancer deaths worldwide, 34 thousand are attributed to high processed-meat intake, whereas tobacco alone relates to 1 million annual cancer deaths.

Related Topic:

- What is the difference between minimally and ultra-processed food?