Red and processed meat: what the WHO said and how much is OK
Nutrition
Key points
- Processed meat is an IARC group 1 carcinogen; red meat is group 2A.
- Each 50 g of processed meat a day (about one hot dog) is linked to an 18% higher risk of colorectal cancer.
- 50 g of processed meat a day was linked to a 42% higher risk of coronary heart disease and 19% higher risk of diabetes.
- In one meta-analysis, unprocessed red meat was not linked to coronary heart disease.
What IARC decided
In 2015, 22 experts convened by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed more than 800 studies. They classified processed meat (meat that has been salted, cured, fermented or smoked, such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham and deli meats) as group 1, “carcinogenic to humans”, mainly because of colorectal cancer. Red meat (beef, pork, lamb) was classified as group 2A, “probably carcinogenic” (Bouvard et al., 2015).
The working group estimated that each 50 g of processed meat eaten daily (about one hot dog or a few slices of deli meat) increases the risk of colorectal cancer by about 18%.
Heart and diabetes
A meta-analysis of studies in about 1.2 million people found that each 50 g a day of processed meat was linked to a 42% higher risk of coronary heart disease and a 19% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Unprocessed red meat was not linked to coronary heart disease in that analysis (Micha et al., 2010). Processed meats are much higher in sodium and preservatives, which may explain part of the difference.
What the experts recommend
The EAT–Lancet Commission suggests no more than about 100 g of red meat a week, with protein coming mainly from legumes, fish, nuts and poultry (Willett et al., 2019). The American Institute for Cancer Research advises eating no more than about 12 to 18 oz of cooked red meat a week and little, if any, processed meat.
In practice
- Swap deli meat sandwiches for hummus, egg, tuna or bean-based fillings.
- Make red meat a side rather than the main event: mix half the ground beef with lentils or mushrooms.
- Try “meatless Monday” or plan two or three plant-based dinners a week.
Frequently asked questions
Does group 1 mean bacon is as dangerous as cigarettes?
No. IARC groups describe how strong the evidence is that something can cause cancer, not how large the risk is. The risk from processed meat is much smaller than from smoking.
Is chicken a better choice?
Poultry is not classified as a carcinogen, but the healthiest protein choices are beans, fish and nuts.
Sources
- Bouvard et al. (2015). Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat. The Lancet Oncology 16(16):1599-1600. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00444-1
- Micha et al. (2010). Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Incident Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes Mellitus. Circulation 121(21):2271-2283. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.924977
- Willett et al. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet 393(10170):447-492. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4
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