The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently stated in a study that processed meat and red meat can be carcinogenic. However, eating meat and sausages a few times a week is not harmful. The important thing is to eat a little of everything and a lot of nothing.
Dr. Tormo Carnicé, member of Top Doctors, explains that red meat is understood as meat that comes from beef, veal, pork, lamb, horse or goat, including minced and/or frozen meat. On the other hand, processed meat is understood to be that which has been prepared by salting, curing, fermenting, smoking or other processes to increase its aroma or to preserve it for a longer period of time.
The study, carried out in Europe, Sweden and Australia on people who are frequent consumers of red meat (between 300 and 420g per day), has shown that a positive association with colorectal cancer was found in 7 out of 15 patients. As regards processed meat, a positive association was found in 12 of the 18 cases studied. The experts concluded that for every 50-gram serving of processed meat consumed daily, the risk of colorectal cancer is increased by 18%. The risk is small, but this risk increases as a function of meat consumption.
It is necessary to emphasize that the study has not taken into account other important variables in the frequency of cancer, such as lifestyle or exercise.
The conclusion to which this study leads us is that sausages and processed meat are foods that should be consumed in moderation because, in addition, they contain strong saturated fats. As for red meat, the data are not conclusive and, in addition, it is an excellent source of proteins of high biological value with the 10 essential amino acids, micronutrients such as vitamin B, iron in its two free forms and heme, being the main supplier of iron and zinc for our body.
The study has been carried out by 22 experts from 10 countries and has been published in the English scientific journal The Lancet, edited by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the WHO.