The nitrite preservatives in processed meats such as bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs form carcinogenic nitrosamines, but also reduce the growth of botulism bacteria—forcing regulators to strike a balance between consumers risking cancer, or a deadly form of food poisoning.
Bacon & Botulism
There are literally hundreds of studies on the link between cancer and cured meats like bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs. But just for a taste, just over the last year or so, processed meat consumption was significantly associated with bladder cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and then all the way down the digestive tract: throat cancer, esophageal cancer, more esophageal cancer, more esophageal cancer and stomach cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer. And then, for a ten-for-one deal, processed meat was significantly related to the risk of stomach, colon, rectal, pancreatic, lung, prostate, testicular, kidney, more bladder cancer—and leukemia, as well. That’s why the official recommendation is to try to “avoid processed meats” entirely.
With concern over the potential danger of nitrosamines growing, consumer groups, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a wonderful group, petitioned the USDA as far back as 1972 to ban, or at least greatly reduce, the nitrite in cured meats. The USDA denied the petition, citing nitrite’s role in the prevention of botulism bacteria that can grow inside vacuum-packed meats. They had to weigh the risk of cancer with the risk of consumers getting a deadly food poisoning bacteria from lunchmeat.
You know, in 2011, the National Pork Board officially changed their quarter-century old slogan from “Pork: the other white meat” to “Pork: Be Inspired.” Maybe for bacon, they should have considered the tagline: “Cancer or Botulism, take your pick.”
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by MaryAnn Allison.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Jia WH, Luo XY, Feng BJ, Ruan HL, Bei JX, Liu WS, Qin HD, Feng QS, Chen LZ, Yao SY, Zeng YX. Traditional Cantonese diet and nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk: a large-scale case-control study in Guangdong, China. BMC Cancer. 2010 Aug 20;10:446.
- Hu J, La Vecchia C, Morrison H, Negri E, Mery L; Canadian Cancer Registries Epidemiology Research Group. Salt, processed meat and the risk of cancer. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2011 Mar;20(2):132-9.
- van Lonkhuijzen L, Kirsh VA, Kreiger N, Rohan TE. Endometrial cancer and meat consumption: a case-cohort study. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2011 Jul;20(4):334-9.
- Ferrucci LM, Sinha R, Ward MH, Graubard BI, Hollenbeck AR, Kilfoy BA, Schatzkin A, Michaud DS, Cross AJ. Meat and components of meat and the risk of bladder cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Cancer. 2010 Sep 15;116(18):4345-53.
- John EM, Stern MC, Sinha R, Koo J. Meat consumption, cooking practices, meat mutagens, and risk of prostate cancer. Nutr Cancer. 2011 May;63(4):525-37.
- Chan DS, Lau R, Aune D, Vieira R, Greenwood DC, Kampman E, Norat T. Red and processed meat and colorectal cancer incidence: meta-analysis of prospective studies. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e20456. Epub 2011 Jun 6.
- O'Doherty MG, Cantwell MM, Murray LJ, Anderson LA, Abnet CC; FINBAR Study Group. Dietary fat and meat intakes and risk of reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Int J Cancer. 2011 Sep 15;129(6):1493-502. doi: 10.1002/ijc.26108.
- Navarro Silvera SA, Mayne ST, Risch HA, Gammon MD, Vaughan T, Chow WH, Dubin JA, Dubrow R, Schoenberg J, Stanford JL, West AB, Rotterdam H, Blot WJ. Principal component analysis of dietary and lifestyle patterns in relation to risk of subtypes of esophageal and gastric cancer. Ann Epidemiol. 2011 Jul;21(7):543-50. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
- Loh YH, Jakszyn P, Luben RN, Mulligan AA, Mitrou PN, Khaw KT. N-Nitroso compounds and cancer incidence: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 May;93(5):1053-61. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
- Xie TP, Zhao YF, Chen LQ, Zhu ZJ, Hu Y, Yuan Y. Long-term exposure to sodium nitrite and risk of esophageal carcinoma: a cohort study for 30 years. Dis Esophagus. 2011 Jan;24(1):30-2. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2050.2010.01080.x.
- McCutcheon JW. Nitrosamines in bacon: a case study of balancing risks. Public Health Rep. 1984 Jul-Aug;99(4):360-4.
Image thanks to Emily Barney / Flickr
- bacon
- bladder cancer
- bladder health
- bologna
- cancer
- carcinogens
- colon cancer
- colon health
- endometrial cancer
- endometrial health
- esophageal cancer
- esophagus health
- food additives
- food poisoning
- foodborne illness
- ham
- hot dogs
- kidney cancer
- kidney disease
- leukemia
- lung cancer
- lung health
- meat
- National Pork Board
- nitrite
- nitrosamines
- pancreas health
- pancreatic cancer
- pork
- preservatives
- processed meat
- prostate cancer
- prostate health
- stomach cancer
- stomach health
- testicular cancer
- testicular health
- throat cancer
- throat health
- thyroid health
- USDA
There are literally hundreds of studies on the link between cancer and cured meats like bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs. But just for a taste, just over the last year or so, processed meat consumption was significantly associated with bladder cancer, endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and then all the way down the digestive tract: throat cancer, esophageal cancer, more esophageal cancer, more esophageal cancer and stomach cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer. And then, for a ten-for-one deal, processed meat was significantly related to the risk of stomach, colon, rectal, pancreatic, lung, prostate, testicular, kidney, more bladder cancer—and leukemia, as well. That’s why the official recommendation is to try to “avoid processed meats” entirely.
With concern over the potential danger of nitrosamines growing, consumer groups, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a wonderful group, petitioned the USDA as far back as 1972 to ban, or at least greatly reduce, the nitrite in cured meats. The USDA denied the petition, citing nitrite’s role in the prevention of botulism bacteria that can grow inside vacuum-packed meats. They had to weigh the risk of cancer with the risk of consumers getting a deadly food poisoning bacteria from lunchmeat.
You know, in 2011, the National Pork Board officially changed their quarter-century old slogan from “Pork: the other white meat” to “Pork: Be Inspired.” Maybe for bacon, they should have considered the tagline: “Cancer or Botulism, take your pick.”
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by MaryAnn Allison.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Jia WH, Luo XY, Feng BJ, Ruan HL, Bei JX, Liu WS, Qin HD, Feng QS, Chen LZ, Yao SY, Zeng YX. Traditional Cantonese diet and nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk: a large-scale case-control study in Guangdong, China. BMC Cancer. 2010 Aug 20;10:446.
- Hu J, La Vecchia C, Morrison H, Negri E, Mery L; Canadian Cancer Registries Epidemiology Research Group. Salt, processed meat and the risk of cancer. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2011 Mar;20(2):132-9.
- van Lonkhuijzen L, Kirsh VA, Kreiger N, Rohan TE. Endometrial cancer and meat consumption: a case-cohort study. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2011 Jul;20(4):334-9.
- Ferrucci LM, Sinha R, Ward MH, Graubard BI, Hollenbeck AR, Kilfoy BA, Schatzkin A, Michaud DS, Cross AJ. Meat and components of meat and the risk of bladder cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Cancer. 2010 Sep 15;116(18):4345-53.
- John EM, Stern MC, Sinha R, Koo J. Meat consumption, cooking practices, meat mutagens, and risk of prostate cancer. Nutr Cancer. 2011 May;63(4):525-37.
- Chan DS, Lau R, Aune D, Vieira R, Greenwood DC, Kampman E, Norat T. Red and processed meat and colorectal cancer incidence: meta-analysis of prospective studies. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e20456. Epub 2011 Jun 6.
- O'Doherty MG, Cantwell MM, Murray LJ, Anderson LA, Abnet CC; FINBAR Study Group. Dietary fat and meat intakes and risk of reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Int J Cancer. 2011 Sep 15;129(6):1493-502. doi: 10.1002/ijc.26108.
- Navarro Silvera SA, Mayne ST, Risch HA, Gammon MD, Vaughan T, Chow WH, Dubin JA, Dubrow R, Schoenberg J, Stanford JL, West AB, Rotterdam H, Blot WJ. Principal component analysis of dietary and lifestyle patterns in relation to risk of subtypes of esophageal and gastric cancer. Ann Epidemiol. 2011 Jul;21(7):543-50. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
- Loh YH, Jakszyn P, Luben RN, Mulligan AA, Mitrou PN, Khaw KT. N-Nitroso compounds and cancer incidence: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 May;93(5):1053-61. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
- Xie TP, Zhao YF, Chen LQ, Zhu ZJ, Hu Y, Yuan Y. Long-term exposure to sodium nitrite and risk of esophageal carcinoma: a cohort study for 30 years. Dis Esophagus. 2011 Jan;24(1):30-2. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2050.2010.01080.x.
- McCutcheon JW. Nitrosamines in bacon: a case study of balancing risks. Public Health Rep. 1984 Jul-Aug;99(4):360-4.
Image thanks to Emily Barney / Flickr
- bacon
- bladder cancer
- bladder health
- bologna
- cancer
- carcinogens
- colon cancer
- colon health
- endometrial cancer
- endometrial health
- esophageal cancer
- esophagus health
- food additives
- food poisoning
- foodborne illness
- ham
- hot dogs
- kidney cancer
- kidney disease
- leukemia
- lung cancer
- lung health
- meat
- National Pork Board
- nitrite
- nitrosamines
- pancreas health
- pancreatic cancer
- pork
- preservatives
- processed meat
- prostate cancer
- prostate health
- stomach cancer
- stomach health
- testicular cancer
- testicular health
- throat cancer
- throat health
- thyroid health
- USDA
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Bacon & Botulism
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Content URLDoctor's Note
This reminds me of the cooked meat carcinogen issue. If we undercook meat, then we can get food poisoning (see for example Fecal Bacteria Survey; U.S. Meat Supply Flying at Half Staph). But if we make sure meat is well-done, we risk exposure to carcinogens produced when muscle flesh is exposed to high temperatures. See Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients? for why nitrites from meat can be harmful, while nitrites from nitrates in vegetables can be helpful.
For more context, also check out my associated blog posts: Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance; Top 10 Most Popular Videos of the Year; Strawberries Can Reverse Precancerous Progression; and How Chemically Contaminated Are We?
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