(Cillian O’Brien/ CTV News) — People who eat just moderate amounts of red and processed meat are still at risk of bowel cancer, according to a new study.
Scientists found that colorectal cancer risk rose 20 per cent with every 25 grams of processed meat people ate per day, equivalent to a strip of bacon or slice of ham.
Those who ate around 76 grams of red and processed meat a day still had a 20 per cent higher chance of developing bowel cancer than those who only ate about 21 grams a day, the study found.
Risk increased 19 per cent with every 50 grams of red meat, such as a thick slice of roast beef or a lamb chop.
“Our results strongly suggest that people who eat red and processed meat four or more times a week have a higher risk of developing bowel cancer than those who eat red and processed meat less than twice a week,” Tim Key, who co-authored the study and is deputy director at the University of Oxford’s cancer epidemiology unit, said in a press release. (…)