Recently, a message has been circulating on Weibo and WeChat: "World Health Organization: Ham and bacon are carcinogens, on par with arsenic!"

Origin British media report: WHO to declare processed meat carcinogenic The earliest source of this message is the British website Daily Mail. The article, published on October 23, is titled "Health experts to declare processed meats as dangerous as cigarettes." It states that health experts will warn that bacon, ham, and sausages carry the same cancer risk as cigarettes. The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to release a report on October 26 about the dangers of eating processed meat. The WHO may list processed meat as a "carcinogen."

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a WHO agency, classifies the carcinogenicity of substances into five levels: carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic, carcinogenicity not classifiable, and probably not carcinogenic. The article says it is believed that processed meat will be placed in the "carcinogenic" category, alongside alcohol, asbestos, arsenic, and cigarettes.

The article also says that fresh red meat (note: red meat refers to pork, beef, and lamb) may be classified as "probably carcinogenic." The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has warned for years that there is "strong evidence" that eating large amounts of red meat may cause bowel cancer.

After the news reached China, it was widely reposted by domestic media, often with sensational headlines: Some media and social media posts even used titles like "Bad news for foodies! Ham and bacon to be listed as carcinogens, on par with arsenic!" and "WHO: Ham and bacon are carcinogens comparable to arsenic, do you still dare to eat?"

The truth: Look at how foreign media titled their reports: "Bacon, ham, and sausages carry the same risk of causing cancer as smoking."

In fact, the WHO classifies the [likelihood] of foods and chemicals causing cancer into five categories: carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic, carcinogenicity not classifiable, and probably not carcinogenic. Among these, foods or chemicals that have been confirmed through long-term scientific research to have a [very high likelihood] of causing cancer are placed in the "carcinogenic" category.

The five classifications of "carcinogenic [likelihood]" by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer:

To put it more clearly, the WHO's five categories are based solely on the "[likelihood] of causing cancer," not on "[toxicity]!" Therefore, foods or chemicals placed in the highest "carcinogenic" category only indicate that these items are closely associated with the occurrence of cancer, but it does not mean that the toxicity of these foods and chemicals is the same.

This is why the "carcinogenic" category includes bacon, ham, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, salted fish, and even solar radiation and arsenic... because these foods and chemicals have been proven to be closely related to the occurrence of cancer, but their toxicity is not equally strong!

On the other hand, for processed meats like bacon and ham, anyone who has followed health information in recent years knows that grilled and smoked meats can damage the human intestinal tract. However, a large number of experiments and observations have further confirmed the close relationship between such meats and cancer, and this has been recognized by the WHO.

However, this does not mean that bacon and ham cannot be eaten or that eating them will cause cancer. Because any carcinogen requires a [certain amount] of accumulation before it [may] trigger cancer.

Moreover, you may have noticed that in my previous sentence, I said "[may] cause cancer." Why not "[definitely]"?

Because whether cancer occurs is also related to our genes. In simple terms, some people's genes make their cells more prone to cancer, while others' genes are more resistant. So even with the same dose of carcinogen, not everyone will get cancer.

In summary, the conclusion I want to tell everyone is that processed meats such as ham, bacon, and smoked meat are absolutely not things that cannot be eaten or that eating them will cause cancer. But to be safe, you'd better [eat less] of such foods, otherwise it will indeed increase your "[risk] of cancer."

However, even if you have consumed a lot of bacon and ham in the past, there is no need to worry too much. The science writer @松鼠云无心 on Weibo gave a very convincing example: "The American Institute for Cancer Research believes that eating about 50 grams of bacon per day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by about 21%. But note: [this is a 21% increase in risk, not a 21% risk of getting colorectal cancer!]"

Source: Global Times

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