The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has just completed a
detailed review of more than 7,000 clinical studies covering links
between diet and cancer. Its conclusion is rocking the
health world with startling bluntness: Processed meats are too
dangerous for human consumption. Consumers should stop buying and
eating all processed meat products for the rest of their
lives.
Processed meats include bacon, sausage, hot dogs, sandwich meat,
packaged ham, pepperoni, salami and virtually all red meat used in
frozen prepared meals. They are usually manufactured with a
carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrite. This is used as a
color fixer by meat companies to turn packaged meats a bright red
color so they look fresh. Unfortunately, sodium nitrite also
results in the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines in the
human body. And this leads to a sharp increase in cancer risk for
those who eat them.
A 2005 University of Hawaii study found that processed meats
increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67 percent. Another study
revealed that every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily
increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21 percent. These are
alarming numbers. Note that these cancer risks do not come from
eating fresh, non-processed meats. They only appear in people who
regularly consume processed meat products containing sodium
nitrite.
Sodium nitrite appears predominantly in red meat products (you
won’t find it in chicken or fish products). Here’s a short list of
food items to check carefully for sodium nitrite and monosodium
glutamate (MSG), another dangerous additive:
If sodium nitrite is so dangerous to humans, why do the FDA and
USDA continue to allow this cancer-causing chemical to be used? The
answer, of course, is that food industry interests now dominate the
actions by U.S. government regulators. The USDA, for example, tried
to ban sodium nitrite in the late 1970′s but was overridden by the
meat industry.5 It insisted the chemical was safe and accused the
USDA of trying to “ban bacon.”
Today, the corporations that dominate American food and
agricultural interests hold tremendous influence over the FDA and
USDA. Consumers are offered no real protection from dangerous
chemicals intentionally added to foods, medicines and personal care
products.
You can protect yourself and your family from the dangers of
processed meats by following a few simple rules:
And finally, eat more fresh produce with every meal. There is
evidence that natural vitamin C found in citrus fruits and exotic
berries (like camu camu) helps prevent the formation of
cancer-causing nitrosamines, protecting you from the devastating
health effects of sodium nitrite in processed meats. The best
defense, of course, is to avoid eating processed meats
altogether.
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