Bacon, Ham, Sausages Linked to Cancer: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has claimed that processed meat such as ham, bacon, salami, chorizo, sausages etc are imbibed with the potential to cause cancer, and has been labeled as carcinogenic. According to the report by WHO, a mere 50g of processed meat a day which is equivalent to less than two slices of bacon or ham, increases the risk of colorectal cancer by a scary 18%. WHO also stated that red meat is considered "probably carcinogenic" but the evidence per se is limited as of now to proclaim the same, reports BBC.

However, according to BBC, WHO also specified that meat comes with its own set of health benefits which cannot be overlooked. Cancer Research UK suggests that it is better to cut down on processed and red meat rather than be off it completely.

According to reports from Daily Mail, in 2011, the government proposed guidelines had recommended that 70g of red or processed meat consumed by an average adult per day was acceptable. But now with the new claims that have risen from the WHO report, the guidelines might be revised soon by the government.

Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK's epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, was quoted as saying that 'We've known for some time about the probable link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer, which is backed by substantial evidence." The professor and other experts are now urging the public to try and avoid processed meat as much as possible, and to probably have a bean salad for lunch rather than a BLT, reports the Daily Mail.