20/06/2021
‘Ham or Cigarettes’
by Hannah Whitehead
nutrition consultation: Paula Pietrzak
Would you give a pack of ci******es to a child?
Well, research confirms that a popular food eaten by all ages is in the same category as smoking, asbestos, arsenic and gamma radiation.
Processed meats such as ham, bacon and sausage are all Group 1 carcinogens; in other words, they cause cancer. This research isn’t new. Published in 2015 by the World Health Organisation, 22 scientists confirmed this by analysing over 800 studies, some of which 50 years old, which all showed the same thing - a direct correlation between processed meat and cancer. Shouldn’t there be a warning label on these products?! Just one serving of deli meats a day increases your risk of colorectal cancer by 18%…
Unprocessed meat isn’t much better either. The WHO concluded that unprocessed meat such as beef, pork and lamb, also probably cause cancer, due to levels of heme iron and the cooking of meat, which produces carcinogenic chemicals. Their studies also showed a positive association between red meat consumption and pancreatic and prostate cancer.
Cancer is just the tip of the iceberg.
A Harvard study showed that one serving of processed meat per day increases your risk of diabetes by 51%. A recent UK study also showed higher intake of meat was linked with smaller ventricles, poorer heart function, and stiffer arteries, clearly linking meat to heart disease - the world’s biggest killer.
Poultry isn’t getting away with it either. Chicken produces the same carcinogens as red meat when heated, and it too helps advance heart disease with almost as much cholesterol per gram as red meat. Men with prostate cancer have a 4-fold chance of progressing their disease if they eat poultry.
So, with meat intake so clearly linked to several diseases, it would be unthinkable to not try cut down on your intake. Ethics aside, meat is not healthy.
Reducing your meat intake (especially processed) will reduce your chance of disease, and you are more likely to live longer - this is all backed by peer-reviewed research.
Cutting down on meat has also never been easier, thanks to the growing demand for meat alternatives. Just walk into Tesco or Asda and there is an abundance of meat free burgers, mince, steaks, sausages, and chicken pieces available to easily replace the biggest health hazard found on today’s plates.
You certainly won’t be missing out on your usual favourite meals, and your body certainly won’t miss the carcinogens.
For further information on the health impacts of meat, watch What The Health available on Netflix now.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/general-info/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens.html
On the photo: ‘Still life with a ham’ by Anne Vallayer-Coster
