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Moderate meat eaters at risk of bowel cancer

General Research

Eating even moderate amounts of red and processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer, according to a study published today by the Nuffield Department of Population Health.

A bacon sandwhich

The study, published in International Journal of Epidemiology, showed that people eating on average around 76g of red and processed meat a day, which is roughly in line with UK Government recommendations, still had a 20% higher chance of developing bowel cancer than those who only ate on average about 21g a day.

One in 15 men and 1 in 18 women born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in their lifetime. This study found that risk rose 19% with every 25g of processed meat (roughly equivalent to a rasher of bacon or slice of ham) people ate per day, and 18% with every 50g of red meat (a thick slice of roast beef or the edible bit of a lamb chop).

Read more (Nuffield Department of Population Health website)

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