After performing over 7,000 clinical studies covering links between diet and cancer, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has come to a startling conclusion: processed meats cause cancer and are "too dangerous for human consumption". Bluntly stated, consumers are urged to quit buying and eating processed meat products, period.
That means bacon, hot dogs, sausage, sandwich meat, and virtually all packaged red meats in prepared meals which contain the cancer-causing agent: sodium nitrite. Used as a "color fixer" to make meats look bright red so they look fresh, sodium nitrite also creates nitrosamines in the body which leads to an increased cancer risk for those who eat them.
Since 2005, various studies have shown a 67 per cent increase in pancreatic cancer from the consumption of processed meats, and a 50 per cent in colorectal cancer. These are alarming figures but needn't be alarmist if you steer clear of non-processed or pre-packed red meats.
The scariest part: virtually all red meats sold at public schools, restaurants, hospitals, hotels and theme parks contain this dangerous additive. It begs the question: if sodium nitrite is so toxic, why are regulating bodies still allowing manufacturers to use this cancer-causing chemical in their foods? Well, in the late 1970’s, the USDA tried to ban the chemical. But it met with fierce opposition from meat industry who claimed the USDA was "trying to ban bacon".
Sadly, consumers on both sides of the border are offered "no real protection" against chemicals and additives added to foods, medicines and personal care products. Your best defence: read labels for red alert ingredients such as sodium nitrite and monosodium glutamate (MSG), another dangerous additive.
While you may not be able to control what's sold in the marketplace, you can control what you store in your fridge and what you feed your family. It's up to you to take the bull, so to speak, by the horns.
"
Printer-friendly version