
Yes, Bacon Really Is Killing Us - ColinFCodeChef
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/01/bacon-cancer-processed-meats-nitrates-nitrites-sausages
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eudora
Learnt everything I need to know from the URL

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lucideer
TL;DR in quotes:

> _an announcement from the World Health Organization that “processed meats”
> were now classified as a group 1 carcinogen, meaning scientists were certain
> that there was “sufficient” evidence that they caused cancer, particularly
> colon cancer. The warning applied not just to British bacon but to Italian
> salami, Spanish chorizo, German bratwurst and myriad other foods._

> _The WHO announcement came on advice from 22 cancer experts from 10
> countries, who reviewed more than 400 studies on processed meat covering
> epidemiological data from hundreds of thousands of people._

> _The part of the story we haven’t been told – including by the WHO – is that
> there were always other ways to manufacture these products that would make
> them significantly less carcinogenic._

> _The pinkness of bacon – or cooked ham, or salami – is a sign that it has
> been treated with chemicals, more specifically with nitrates and nitrites.
> It is the use of these chemicals that is widely believed to be the reason
> why “processed meat” is much more carcinogenic than unprocessed meat._

> _The health risk of bacon is largely to do with two food additives:
> potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre) and sodium nitrite. It is these
> that give salamis, bacons and cooked hams their alluring pink colour.
> Saltpetre – sometimes called sal prunella – has been used in some recipes
> for salted meats since ancient times._

The idea that nitrates are the reason processed meats are carcinogenic seems
to be mainly taken from a recent book by a French journalist; not much in the
way of links to scientific research. Would be nice to see some links along
this line. The WHO recommendations are pretty incontrovertible however.

