WHO Says Processed Meat Can Cause Cancer, Red Meat Might

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has declared that processed meat is carcinogenic.

The group said there was sufficient evidence showing that processed meat — which has been cured, salted, fermented, or smoked — is associated with increased risk for colorectal cancer. The group also reported a positive association between processed meat and stomach cancer.

Meanwhile, red meat is probably carcinogenic, the group stated, based on "the substantial epidemiological data showing a positive association between consumption of red meat and colorectal cancer and the strong mechanistic evidence." However, red meat did not get the highest carcinogenic rating because some high-quality studies found no association, and confounding could not be ruled out in others. Increases in risk for pancreatic and prostate cancer have also been observed with red meat consumption.