NichoP's Current Event

Back off the bacon and cold cuts?

By: Stephen Ornes

Society for Science & the Public

01.08.16

By: Nicho Paulu

A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2015, says that eating processed meats and red meats can lead to cancer. Some processed meats are bacon, sausages, hot dogs, and cold cuts. Eating these and red meats such as pork, beef, and goat can lead to cancer, which was found after 800 studies by 22 WHO experts.

Luckily, if you don’t eat processed or red meats every day you should be safe, but too much can be bad. If someone eats 50 grams a day they have a higher risk of colorectal cancer. This risk only comes from eating it daily. Fifty grams is equal to a  jumbo hot dog, two slices of ham, or two strips of bacon. Fifty grams a day of processed meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Colorectal cancer, which starts in the colon or rectum. Tumors will form when cells go out of control and make clusters, and cancerous cells may get into the bloodstream and go to other places inside, and make more tumors there. More than 130,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the US annually. About half of these people die from it, which makes it a serious cancer. In the US, 5 out of 100 people will be diagnosed (most are older than 50), and 2 in 100 people will die from colorectal cancer. The WHO report says that 6 out of 100 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. For another 50 grams a day the risk goes up 18% more. Eating processed meats is not as dangerous as smoking. If you see a headline anywhere that suggests that eating processed meats is as dangerous as smoking, just know that’s a lie.

I chose this article because it interested me, and I sometimes enjoy having processed meats and I’m sure most of us do. I was concerned about this study and I wanted to read what was found in the study. I found that it can be quite dangerous eating too much processed meat, but most people should be able to avoid colorectal cancer. This article does mention cells, which we will be learning about in class. The article goes on and explains a good healthy tip: get cooking! This is a way to know about food and cooking. I certainly like cooking. It’s also a way to not get obese. To know how to eat right at a young age will be good for later years in life. I learned some things I didn’t already know in the article, like how many people get colorectal cancer. I don’t know if I have any questions, but I wonder how much has the WHO report scared people.

                                             Above: Sizzling Bacon

Bibliography:

Ornes, Stephen. "Back off the bacon and cold cuts?" ScienceNews for Students 8

    Jan. 2016: n. pag. Student Science. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.

    <https://student.societyforscience.org/article/back-bacon-and-cold-cuts>.

Yarzab / Flickr, Chris. Bacon sizzles on the griddle. Student Science. Society

    for Science & the Public, 8 Jan. 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.

    <https://student.societyforscience.org/article/back-bacon-and-cold-cuts>.