Increased breast cancer risk associated with sausages and bacon

There is an increased risk of breast cancer associated with eating sausages and bacon, a new study has suggested.

Eating over 9g of certain processed meats - or two sausages and three pieces of bacon - per week can cause middle-aged women to increase their risk of developing breast cancer by up to one fifth. Women who eat smaller amounts were shown to be 15 percent more at risk. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Glasgow. The Times has reported that the study found no link between younger women eating these meats and no link between breast cancer risk and red meat. Professor Naveed Sattar said:

“My public health advice for women would be: if you’re particularly concerned about breast cancer, then it might be another incentive to improve your quality of diet by eating less processed meats.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially classes processed meats as carcinogens.  Processed meats refer to those that are treated to preserve or to maintain flavour through salting, smoking, fermenting, or curing. They include hot dogs, some deli meats, ham, bacon, and sausage. WHO also class red meat as "probably carcinogenic" to humans.