As of: February 16, 2024, 6:30 a.m
By: Jasmina Deshmeh
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Red and processed meat is repeatedly linked to colon cancer.
But how big is the impact on the risk of cancer really?
In 2015, a report from the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
caused a stir: the sub-organization of the
World Health Organization (WHO)
classified the consumption of red meat as “probably carcinogenic” to humans.
Certain types of meat would be just as harmful as smoking.
But what's the truth about the warning?
Does red meat really promote colon cancer?
How much meat can you eat without hesitation - or should you just avoid it?
Colon cancer caused by red and processed meat: which products does this mean?
How much meat can be eaten safely?
Experts discuss this again and again (symbolic image).
© Panthermedia/Imago
“Red meat” includes muscle meat from beef, pork, horse, lamb and goat.
Poultry and fish are not included, nor are offal and game meat.
But that doesn't mean that offal and game meat can be eaten safely; according to
IARC
, their influence on the development of cancer has not yet been sufficiently researched.
The “processed meat” category includes all meat products that are preserved by smoking, drying, salting, fermenting or adding chemical preservatives.
Classic processed meat products include:
hot dog
salami
bacon
Ham
Canned meat
minced meat
How great is the risk of colon cancer from these products?
The
IARC
experts base their assessment on the results of over 800 studies that examined possible connections between meat consumption and various cancers.
A large randomized cohort study that confirmed an increased risk of colon cancer (colorectal cancer) as well as pancreatic cancer (pancreatic cancer) and prostate cancer (prostate cancer) turned out to be particularly informative.
However, the study was unable to demonstrate an increased risk of stomach cancer.
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The health risks from red meat and processed meat were not the same.
The scientists classified red meat as “probably carcinogenic in humans” and processed meat as “carcinogenic in humans”.
What does that mean?
There is sufficient and convincing scientific evidence that eating processed meat causes colon cancer.
The “scientific evidence” is “just as good as for tobacco smoke,” writes the
consumer advice center.
The research situation for red meat is still uncertain.
But that doesn't mean that eating meat causes as many cancers as smoking.
Anyone who smokes increases their risk of developing lung cancer significantly more than meat eaters increase their risk of colon cancer.
For comparison: According to the Association of Pulmonary Clinics,
90 percent of all lung cancer cases are
due to smoking - around a million people worldwide die of cancer every year due to smoking.
Experts from the Global Burden of Disease Project,
on the other hand , estimate the number of cancer deaths from eating red meat
to be 50,000 per year.
Alcohol is estimated to be responsible for 600,000 cancer deaths and air pollution for 200,000.
Should I therefore avoid red and processed meat?
There is no answer to how much red or processed meat can be safely eaten.
As with many things, the same applies here: it's the dose that counts.
The
German Nutrition Society (DGE
) sees meat as a good source of nutrients and recommends eating a maximum of 300 to 600 grams per week and preferring white meat (poultry).
Similar recommendations come from the
IARC
, which recommends a maximum of 500 grams of red meat per week.
Processed meat, on the other hand, has no nutritional benefit.
This means that nutrients cannot be better absorbed through processing.
In addition, processed meat also promotes hardening of the arteries and thus increases the risk of a heart attack.
The following applies here: as little as possible in order to keep the health risk low.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editorial team cannot answer individual questions about medical conditions.