The consumption of processed meats is a reason why colorectal cancer is the second-leading type of cancer in Europe.
“Processed meat consumption, including meats with preservative salts such as sodium nitrite, have been implicated in CRC pathogenesis,” according to a 2022 study published in Nature Partner Journals’ Science of Food.
The study showed mice developed 75% more cancerous tumors in their small intestines and 82% more tumors in their colons when fed the chemical-laden meats than those fed nitrite-free pork, the Guardian reported.
“The results of this new study make the cancer risk associated with nitrite-cured meat even clearer,” Chris Elliott, one of the study authors, told the Guardian. “The everyday consumption of nitrite-containing bacon and ham poses a very real risk to public health.”
In July 2022, France said it would all but eliminate the use of nitrites in food processing. The nitrogen-oxygen compounds are used to preserve meats and give them their pink color, but they have been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
The European Food Safety Authority in December 2022 issued a warning about the health concern of nitrites, the Guardian reported, leading Elliott, other scientists, and government officials to call for the United Kingdom to enact a ban . . . " Full article:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-c ... 00539.html