There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, according to new research
There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, according to new research
www.cnn.com
There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, according to new research | CNN
124 comments
-
-
It’s also important to note that the studies included in the analysis were observational, meaning that the data can only show an association between eating habits and disease –– not prove that what people ate caused the disease
-
I think that if you know a person who eats a hot dog every day, you will have many other reasons to suspect that they're unhealthy.
-
Doing the Lord's work here. Thank you.
-
right. that's just about any food study! it's the trouble with the nutrition field in general
-
Sometimes they can control for known variables. I don't think they did it in this case
-
-
-
I'm not a nutritional epidemiologist.
But I've started to get into learning about it in the last few months.
It's really starting to feel like this is a giant bullshit field, and as much as they are trying to find useful results, there's something severely wrong with how they seem to arbitrarily assign causality and correlation.
In a contrived example: "People who live near power lines have more cancer" - "No, poor people live near power lines because they're poor, and poor people have more cancer"
What are the kind of people that eat processed hot dogs? I can promise you they are not millionaires. I can promise you it's not people who can afford filet mignon but decide to have a steamed hot dog. It's not people who work out and take care of their bodies. It's not people who cook.
So when a study is done like this, what answer are you actually getting? probably finding out that the type of people who eat processed meat are more prone to these conditions for a variety of considerations that are just totally left out of the analysis.
-
Well, you're right and I'm surprised I've never thought of this before.
-
The EMF from power lines was a real mind virus that went around when I was a teenager!
I've been alive too long and have seen this pattern play out again, and again, and again. Feeling a little sad right now, actually.
For another example: all my life the common sense accepted wisdom, supported by real dermatologists was that to keep the likelihood of skin cancer to a minimum there is zero known healthy level of sun exposure. Well that's all out the f'king window in 2025 because we now know the deleterious effects of insufficient sun exposure are vastly more severe compared to an increased morbidity for types of skin cancer.
I don't want to be mr critical, but... there's something wrong in our whole approach to these "studies" and I don't know what fixes it. Any experts wanna help describe what I'm getting at with the right technical language?
-
-
-
Basically: wanna live healthy and forever? Just become a billionaire! If you don't want to live healthy then I guess that's your choice to make.
-
We have collectively forgotten that correlation != causation
-
I actually don't think it's possible to forget. In the sense that pattern recognition and chain-of-event are thought structures baked into our very beings. We don't intuit that most things are random in a greater sense, and probabilistic on a finer resolution. We're always looking for self-satisfying, singular paths of causality and they don't exist.
Touch red hot metal burn skin; Stab self in face make self not alive. A necessary abbreviated thought structure essential to human survival.
Extend that perspective to eat ween get beetus. Wait.
What is the field of nutritional epidemiology hoping to accomplish by obsessively searching for links (their magic word) between disease and dietary intake? It assumes, by the very nature of the question, that there is a direct causal relationship between diet & illness. There can't be. Any sufficiently complicated system of interrelationships is going to have massive amounts of turbulence and chaos!
-
-
Yes, poor people eat poor quality food more often but the food is bad either way.
Here's a good tip, look at allllll of the specific foods that a doctor would tell a pregnant person to avoid. Non-pregnant people should also avoid them, and processed meats have been on that list for a long time.
-
that’s not true. pregnant people are told to stay away from sushi because of immunity with raw fish. you should also not eat papaya while pregnant because it can cause premature contractions. you’re making a very broad generalization that the recommendation to pregnant people is completely nutrition based, but there’s many factors when growing a life inside you.
like in early pregnancy, you eat foods high in choline. that’s not because foods low in choline are bad for you, but because during early fetal development, choline builds neural tubes
-
Try to follow the thrust of the conversation.
-
-
-
"As little as one hot dog a day", doesn't really strike me as a great example of a "small" amount of processed meat. I'd generally say I ate a lot of something if I had it literally on a daily basis.
-
Totally agree on hotdogs, but if someone ate a slice of standard toast for breakfast every day I wouldn't say they ate a lot of toast.
Point being, I don't think the frequency can be considered independent of the thing.They maybe could have phrased it better as "consumption of as little as 2 ounces of processed meat, about one hotdog, a day...".
A hotdog is a relatable unit of measure for an amount of food, but a hotdog a day isn't normal. A hotdog one day, a deli sandwich the next, and so one though isn't preposterous.
-
-
sorry but one hotdog a day is not a small nor moderate amount.
-
Right lol that’s an insane amount of hot dogs
-
Every few trips to Costco already seems too often, but it is delicious.
-
-
What I liked was their phrasing: "people who ate as little as one hot dog a day"
I'm assuming it's just the average though, I generally ingest my 7 hotdogs for Monday morning breakfast, and then eat healthy the rest of the week.
-
One hotdog a day is little compared to the 30+ hot dogs day they are force feeding those poor albino rats.
-
-
There are plenty of toddlers who'd disagree with you
-
-
7% increase of an already small chance in exchange for 1 hotdog/day doesn't sound that bad to me.
-
It never seems that bad unless you're in that small percent. Cancer's a damned awful way to die.
-
Sure but there are a ton of things, genetic, environmental, dietary, neurochemical, etc. that can contribute to the development of cancer. You can do literally everything right and end up in the exact same place as someone who did all the wrong things because the causes are innumerable and many are literally unavoidable.
Would I regret my choices if I got cancer after I did all the things the studies say would increase my odds? Of course I would. Would I regret my choices if did everything "right" and still got cancer? Of course I would. But that's because being in that position inherently biased you against your past. If I did all the wrong things I would regret that I indulged too much, and if I did all the right things I would regret that I never really indulged at all and enjoyed life fully. Either way you got shafted. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't.
But to me it's better to just live intentionally but without having this constant concern about every single thing I eat, drink, or breath maybe, possibly, eventually contributing to developing cancer. Like I'm not about to start smoking, I rarely drink, I try to eat enough veggies, etc. because those things have much more tangible direct consequences that I'm mindful of, and I'm not about to eat a hotdog every day mostly because I'm a really good cook and that sounds sad as fuck. But the next time I do eat a hotdog, a salami, or a Reuben sandwich, I promise you that no part of my mind is going to be worrying that it will give me cancer. Constant dread is its own form of cancer and life's too short and uncertain to live with that shit 24/7.
-
-
-
Let's begin by reading the article, and noting this key sentence: "“Habitual consumption of even small amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks, and trans fatty acids is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Demewoz Haile, a research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle. "
Health effects associated with consumption of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and trans fatty acids: a Burden of Proof study https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03775-8#author-information
Abstract
Previous research suggests detrimental health effects associated with consuming processed foods, including processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and trans fatty acids (TFAs). However, systematic characterization of the dose–response relationships between these foods and health outcomes is limited. Here, using Burden of Proof meta-regression methods, we evaluated the associations between processed meat, SSBs and TFAs and three chronic diseases: type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and colorectal cancer. We conservatively estimated that—relative to zero consumption—consuming processed meat (at 0.6–57 g d−1) was associated with at least an 11% average increase in type 2 diabetes risk and a 7% (at 0.78–55 g d−1) increase in colorectal cancer risk. SSB intake (at 1.5–390 g d−1) was associated with at least an 8% average increase in type 2 diabetes risk and a 2% (at 0–365 g d−1) increase in IHD risk. TFA consumption (at 0.25–2.56% of daily energy intake) was associated with at least a 3% average increase in IHD risk. These associations each received two-star ratings reflecting weak relationships or inconsistent input evidence, highlighting both the need for further research and—given the high burden of these chronic diseases—the merit of continuing to recommend limiting consumption of these foods.
Then I hit a paywall. Anyone got a ladder?
-
One of us is gonna have to email one of the authors to ask for a copy. I've read that they want the public to read their work and that the paywall is just like a default setting.
-
-
Dang, you mean to tell me that animal refuse blended into mush and saturated with salt is bad for us?!
-
Eh, "refuse" makes sausage sound worse than it is. In the modern world anyplace with a food inspection system will typically see sausage made from cuts of meat that are perfectly edible but don't meet the grading standards likely to sell on the shelf , or the excess pieces of muscle left over after breaking primal cuts down into smaller pieces. No one wants to buy USDA certified Meh grade steak, or a palm sized wedge of uneven thickness. So they get sent off to make hamburger, sausage, and various canned or commercial meat products that don't need to be pretty.
Processed meat also includes much more benign seeming foods, like sandwich meat, ground meats, and bacon. We've known for a while that eating meat, and more so red meat, is a risk for colon problems. Red meats are more likely to be processed and therefore cheap and salty.
The new thing the study adds is that there isn't a lower bound. For a lot of things there's a quantity that isn't associated with any issues, and it's only when you go above that limit that the risk goes up.
-
Refuse? Why do you think processed meat is animal refuse?
-
-
Considering humans have been eating processed meats like these for centuries, I think I’ll take my chances.
-
And our rates of intestinal cancer have been rising steadily to the point where now it's a common killer, so we've become afraid of it in our quest to live long, pain-free lives.
Things change as we learn. Why we don't use lead in our pipes anymore. Safe, biocompatible plastic only.
-
If the rates have been rising, wouldn’t that prove it’s not processed meats like these? It would be something that’s being introduced at a steady rate lately, not something that’s been around for centuries.
-
Yeah, but I think I'll take 60 years of eating really tasty meats and foods at the risk of slightly increasing my chance of getting cancer and dying at like 65 instead of 85.
-
-
Nitrites only date back to the middle of the 19th century.
-
We've been smoking, salting, and otherwise preserving meat for way longer than that, though. People usually died off from other things before cancer got them, that's all. The relatively high number of cancer deaths is a product of medical intervention getting so good and so widespread that we don't regularly die of sepsis from stepping on a splinter or catching communicable disease anymore.
Absolutely, fuck cancer. But cancer went from being a minor concern to a relatively common one because we conquered so many other avenues of death, systematically and carefully, until we're down to time, neglect and negligence as the three main ways humanity gets itself to the Reaper.
-
Isolated as a pure salt, maybe. All those "uncured" varieties listing celery as an ingredient are making use of the same compound though.
-
-
Yeah, I try not to make it my entire diet, but… no pepperoni? Why live?
-
-
Jokes on them. I do tons of unsafe shit, and probably only one of those things is going to kill me. There will be no accountability for 99.9% of the bad behavior, including unregulated hotdog intake. Suckers.
-
For me, it's about the quality of life before I die, not which shitty thing I'm willingly doing to my body that ends up "winning".
-
Didn't think it needed the /s, but maybe it always needs the /s
-
-
-
publishing this article three days before independance day is terrorism
edit: two days. Somehow I thought the fourth of july was on the fifth.
-
i usually use a little mnemonic device to remember exact dates for holidays. for fourth of July i try to match the last word with the month of the year and the first word with the day of the month.
-
-
There is no where safe from fascists and ICE right now so I'm gonna eat all the processed meat I want dammit. If it gets much worse I'm gonna take up smoking and drinking again too, since I'll definitely fuck up and get exiled or worse for opposing all of this shit. On a related note, are there any good sources for quality FUCK ICE magnets and bumper stickers?
-
No no, you've got it backwards. Give THEM the processed meat
-
This is the way.
-
-
Don't make their job easier for them. Fuck them! Health is wealth.
The state need not kill those that killing themselves
\ Don't make it an easy job for 'em
\
\ The killing of kids with £2 chicken and chips
\ Is a tactic of war, waged on the poor
\ Can't save wages on slave wages
\ And you don't think fresh fruit with your face on the floor
\ Nah, you need money for the kids
\ Rent and light plus food in the fridge
\ But that last box can be the hardest tick
\ 'Cause scraps will suffice but they might make you sick
\ As a child I used to chow take out
\ Twenty-four hours later skin break out
\ Felt so heavy with it sitting in my belly
\ Dessert was a sugar coated candy jelly
\ Fam that's pig meat. Mashing up the kidney
\ Make sure no government has to kill me
\ I was killing myself till I realised danger
\ Brain, heart, liver and lungs can hit failure
\ Now season daal and veg with fresh herbs
\ Cut caffeine because it messed with nerves
\ Plenty lentils and chickpea curry
\ 20 minute meal for a man in a hurry
\ That's real fast food that won't break the bank
\ With enough nutrients to fill the tank
\ Drink water for the body's natural power
\ But water from taps can taste sour
\ Food deserts are designed to starve us
\ No fresh produce but we've got Starbucks
\ Calories packed in treats to enlarge us
\ May not see the effects but the heart does
\ Can't breathe, can't sleep, can't run
\ Casomorphin wreaks havoc on the lungs
\ Just like fizzy wreaks havoc on the gums
\ And my old man said diabetes ain't fun
\ Ginger root is good for the youts
\ Blend it up and share a fresh juice
\ Burn sage, cleanse the room
\ Body is a temple, don't let it be a tomb
\ The food you choose to consume can damage
\ Processed meats intestines can't manage
\ Cattle farming still killing off the planet
\ And it tells us everyday that it can't stand it
\ Earth getting hotter while the sea levels rise
\ All because you want burger with those fries
\ All because you want milkshake with the meal
\ Then to combat diarrhoea you take pills
\ What's the deal? Eat right, stay active
\ Stay strong 'cause the revolution is real
\ Never know when a man might have to dash
\ And a pig can't kill what a pig can't catch
\ It's more than just eating right, it's survival
\ Rasta man tell the youts eat Ital
\ Daily exercise, fresh air is vital
\ Whether you short walk, run or take cycle
\ Meditate to live life and love it
\ Plus stress increases acid in stomachs
\ Read and chill to keep the mental covered
\ And when you find struggle, try rise above it
\ I find peace in the books on the shelf
\ Food on the stove while it cooks I can smell
\ It's gonna be good by the looks I can tell
\ And it won't put my body through hell, well
\ Well, I want strength like Phelps
\ Good practises and discipline helps
\ Not for the six-pack, I do it for myself
\ 'Cause it's true what they say your health is wealth
\ Be healthy, be strong, alright
\
\ Oh by the way, remember you are a gift to yourself and a gift to your environment
\ Continue to be that beautiful gift
\ Share that gift in your food, and all your gastronomic mastery-
Lentils and chickpeas are so good and cheap.
-
-
You do you my man, it's just that you would definitely make your life much more sufferable if you had given your organism the better sort of fuel
-
Magnets and stickers aren't significantly better than thoughts and prayers, but cost more.
-
-
Ya well in the 70s and 80s this was what we as kids were given to eat.
I'm paying for that now
-
Well, shit.
-
I love living dangerously
-
So I have to eat raw meat?
-
Mett gang assemble!
-
-
I'm actually not surprised at all by the result of this study.
We know from several studies that fish 🐟 , eggs🥚, nuts 🌰 and chicken 🐔 are much healthier sources of protein than red meat 🥩.
From Cornell University:
Unprocessed red meat and processed meat consumption leads to a slightly higher risk of heart disease and premature death, according to a new study from researchers at Cornell and Northwestern University
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/02/study-red-meat-processed-meat-hike-heart-disease-risk
From Harvard University:
People who eat just two servings of red meat per week may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people who eat fewer servings, and the risk increases with greater consumption, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“Given our findings and previous work by others, a limit of about one serving per week of red meat would be reasonable for people wishing to optimize their health and wellbeing” said senior author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition.
https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/red-meat-consumption-associated-with-increased-type-2-diabetes-risk/
From Oxford University:
Red and processed meat linked to increased risk of heart disease, Oxford study shows.
Overall, the evidence from the analysis indicated that each 50 g/day higher intake of processed meat (e.g. bacon, ham, and sausages) increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 18%.
Each 50 g/day higher intake of unprocessed red meat (such as beef, lamb and pork) increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 9%.
There was no clear link between eating poultry (such as chicken and turkey) and an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
-
-
Im so screwed.
-
Be like a Harley rider - embrace your dangerous lifestyle.
-
-
...and what do they say about just plain meat, I wonder? 🤔
-
YOLO 🤷♀️
-
Are the Germans dying in droves due to this?
-
I felt shitty, I made changes to my diet and exercise, I feel much better now.
It doesn't take research to convince me that processed foods, especially industrial, large scale, profit-above-all-else, processed food is bad for me.
These results shouldn't surprise anyone, and I don't think they do. But, people will find excuses to keep doing unhealthy things they enjoy, and that is their prerogative.
-
Some of this food isn't great for you, but if you only have it now and then it shouldn't be a problem.
Moderation and a diverse diet is key.
-
-
Can I have a little sausage, as a treat?
-
I could sure go for some Ivermectin squeezed on top of a hotdog and washed down with some motor oil about now.
-
I will continue eating that crap
-
i can't argue with toddlers
-
There is no safe amount? What? Not even zero?
124 comments
That still seems like a lot to me.
A hot dog a day keeps the doctors employed.
I suggest you don't visit West Virginia....
https://www.tastingtable.com/1887834/west-virginia-most-hot-dogs/
Coincidentally West Virginia has an obesity rate of 41%.
I feel like the west virginia statistic may be heavily biased by what a poor family might feed a child. I remember my parents using hot dogs for 'cheap' meat that could be doctored into meals that my picky toddler ass would eat.
While I'm sure they meant a hotdog sized amount per day... yeah, thats terrible wording. When I eat hot dogs I might eat 2 or 3 at a cook out or something... then not eat hotdogs for like 3 months. They could have evoked the "amount" better. And even then... who eats that much ultra processed meat?
Think that’s about the average.
Deli meats, pizza toppings, bacon, etc.
The hot dog was supposed to be an example. A more common one is lunch meat, which some people do eat every day.
Fair point. My kid eats a lot of turkey sandwiches.
Anyone know the conversion rate of turkey slices to hotdogs?
hello my name is Guy Who Eats 365 Hot Dogs Per Year, I'm here for chest pain