though it’s not yet understood which aspect of the process-
ing causes the problems in the body. It could be the salting,
the nitrates or nitrites that are added as preservatives, the
smoking itself, or, of course, some combination. (Organic and
nitrate-free meats usually use celery juice, a natural nitrate,
but it’s unclear whether the net effect is better.)
But be aware of the bigger picture: Aside from not smoking
cigarettes, according to the AICR, maintaining a healthy weight
is the most effective thing you can do to protect against can-
cer. So, although it’s still wise to consume smoked and cured
fish products in moderation, ultimately if those foods help you
maintain a healthy weight (especially in place of other foods
that would be less healthy), that’s likely your stronger protec-
tion against not just colorectal but a range of cancers.
With its 2015 announcement, the WHO also proclaimed red
meat as “probably carcinogenic,” which means it has been tied
to greater cancer risk. The “probably” part means researchers
did not think the data was strong enough to say the connec-
tion was definitive, because other lifestyle variables could be
at play. Red meat—i.e., meat from mammals, which in the
United States are most commonly beef, pork, and lamb—was
linked to not only colorectal cancer but pancreatic and pros-
tate cancer. If the data grew to the point that the experts felt
comfortable saying the effect was causal, the size of the risk
would be that eating 100 grams of red meat per day—roughly a
quarter-pound burger patty—would increase the chance of the
cancers mentioned by 17 percent.THE WHO ANNOUNCEMENT WAS PARTLY TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT /
SENSATIONALIZED IN THE MEDIA. THREE IMPORTANT CLARIFICATIONS:
The effect appears when eating quite a bit of processed
meat. Specifically, the researchers found that people who
ate about six strips of bacon or a single hot dog’s worth of136 how to be a Conscious EaterConscious Eater_02 PT_4th patches.indd 136 10/23/19 1:31 PM