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.

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.

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.

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.

Eating red meat might raise your chances of dying from cancer or getting certain types of cancer, according to big reviews of past research.

Scientists think the iron in red meat might cause colon cancer, but the lab tests that suggest this use way more iron than people normally eat, so we can't say eating red meat like usual actually causes cancer.