October 29, 2015: Beware bacon and sunlight!
Some disconcerting news hit the web yesterday:
Yep. According to the World Health Organization, bacon and other processed meats (hell, red meat in general!) are very, VERY bad for you. They’ve been classified as a Group 1 Carcinogen along with asbestos and tobacco. Apparently, daily consumption (of the meats, not the asbestos or the tobacco as those numbers may vary) increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%! 18%! What does that mean?!! I have no idea. Does it mean you have an 18% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer if you eat processed meat EVERY DAY? Or does it mean that that slice of bacon you had for breakfast last Tuesday has increased your chance of getting cancer by 18%? If the latter, what if you have bacon two days running? By week’s end, you’d be dead!
Then, today, I came across this article that helped put things in perspective:
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/who-does-bacon-cause-cancer-sort-of-but-not-really/
“Here’s the deal: The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer weighs the strength of the scientific evidence that some food, drink, pesticide, smokable plant, whatever is a carcinogen. What it does not do is consider how much that substance actually increases your risk for actually getting cancer—even if it differs by magnitudes of 100.”
Hang on a second. So eating a smokie ISN’T as bad for you as working as a drywall taper on long-condemned buildings? Well, this IS news!
Curious, I decided to check out what other items make the WHO’s list of Group 1 Carcinogens and put together the following rundown for your edification. Please avoid the following as they may be hazardous to your health…
Cyanide
Coal tar
Oral contraceptives
Alcoholic beverages
Tobacco
Mustard gas
City air
Salted fish
Processed meats
Sunlight
Didn’t see heroin on the list. All the same, I’d recommend limiting your dosage out of an abundance of caution.
Joseph Mallozzi's Blog
- Joseph Mallozzi's profile
- 39 followers
