The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that eating processed meats can increase your risk of cancer.
Processed meats are meats that have been modified to increase their shelf-life or alter taste. They include bacon, sausages and ham.
The report found that consuming 50g of processed meat a day (that’s one sausage or less than two slices of bacon) increases your chance of developing bowel cancer by 18 per cent.
Cooking at high temperatures can also increase risk.
Red meats were also deemed as “probably carcinogenic” but the evidence in this regard is limited.
The findings put processed meat into the top five most carcinogenic substances alongside cigarettes, alcohol, asbestos and arsenic.
The WHO stressed that meat also has health benefits and these results should encourage people to create a more balanced diet rather than cutting out processed meats altogether.
