Processed meat and cancer - latest research

A new study has shown that eating just one sausage a day can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by nearly 20 per cent.

Scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden examined data from 11 studies with a total of 6,643 cases of pancreatic cancer. The study shows that consuming 50g of processed meat every day – the equivalent of one sausage or two rashers of bacon – can increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 19 per cent. This risk increases with the amount of processed meat consumed, eating 100g of processed meat every day was found to increase the risk by 38 per cent, whilst eating 150g can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 57 per cent.

A similar link between bowel cancer and red and processed meat has also been documented. A report by The World Cancer Research Fund in 2011 found “convincing evidence” to suggest that eating less red and processed meat could prevent 17,000 cases of bowel cancer – almost 43 per cent – every year in the UK. The report also suggests that fibre-rich foods can actually protect against bowel cancer.

In a similar turn, last year the Department of Health issued new advice that those who eat more than 90g of red and processed meat every day should cut their intake down to 70g per day in order to reduce their risk of bowel cancer.

Find out Beating Bowel Cancer's advice on how to reduce your risk of developing bowel cancer.