Eating two slices of bacon, one sausage, or 2 slices of cold cuts a day can increase a person's risk of a deadly form of cancer by almost a fifth, according to a Swedish study. This, along with the Harvard School of Public Heath's link of processed meats with heart disease should be scientific proof enough for any intelligent person that processed meats like cold cuts, bacon, and ham are significant health risks.
New research by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found that eating 1.8 ounces (50 grams) of processed meat a day can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 19 percent. For people consuming 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of processed meat, the increased risk jumps to 38 percent and 57 percent for those eating 5.3 ounces (150 grams) a day.
The authors of this study have suggested that one of the reasons could be that some of the chemicals that are used to preserve processed meat are turned in our bodies into some really harmful chemicals which can affect our DNA and increase the chance of cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund is advising consumers to limit their intake of cooked red meat to 500g ( a little under 20 ounces ) a week and to avoid processed meat altogether.
