Eating grilled or cooked red and processed meats, especially when well-done, might raise your chances of getting colorectal cancer, according to several big studies.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Consumption of Thermally Processed Meat Containing Carcinogenic Compounds (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines) versus a Risk of Some Cancers in Humans and the Possibility of Reducing Their Formation by Natural Food Additives—A Literature Review

Systematic Review

2022 Apr 14

The study looks at eating cooked meat with harmful chemicals and finds it can increase cancer risk, especially for colon cancer, which matches the claim exactly.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Consumption of Thermally Processed Meat Containing Carcinogenic Compounds (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines) versus a Risk of Some Cancers in Humans and the Possibility of Reducing Their Formation by Natural Food Additives—A Literature Review

Score: 26

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19084781

Similar Assertions

We know that eating a lot of red and processed meats is linked to higher cancer risk, but scientists still don't fully understand how exactly that happens in the body.

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Eating red meat might increase your risk of getting colon cancer — scientists aren't totally sure, but there's some concerning evidence and a good biological reason to think it could be harmful.

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Eating processed meats like bacon or sausages can expose you to certain chemicals (PAHs and HAAs) that might raise your chances of getting several types of cancer, not just colon cancer. The risk seems to depend on the type of cancer and how the studies were done.

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Eating processed meat can cause cancer, especially in the colon, and scientists have enough proof to say this — even if they're still figuring out exactly how it happens.

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