American Institute For Cancer Research Supports Processed Meat As Being Cancer Causing

The American Institute For Cancer Research (AICR) embraced^[1] the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classification of processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans.” The AICR is arguably the United States leading cancer organization that examines lifestyle choices like diet and activity and their impact on the risk of cancer.

The IARC report puts processed meat in Group 1, Carcinogenic to Humans, and joins cigarettes, alcohol, and arsenic. Red meat (beef, pork, lamb) was put in Group 2A: Probably Carcinogenic to Humans.

The AICR has had a similar opinion about the consumption of processed meat and red meat and has been recommending for years that people avoid the consumption of processed meats like bacon, and reduce the consumption of red meat. Like the IARC, its recommendations stemmed from the analysis of global scientific research, expert reports, and the Continuous Update Project.^[2]

Though the IARC classified processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” placing processed meat in the same category of cigarettes, the IARC hopes that people understand the level of risk is not the same. Though the consumption of processed meats is cancer causing the IARC pointed out:

“In some studies, participants who eat diets high in processed meat experience a risk for colorectal cancer that is nearly double that of non-meat-eaters. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking cigarettes multiplies a person’s risk for cancer by as much as 20 times.”

In comparison to processed food consumption cigarette smoking will cause you to get cancer quicker, but you are still a great risk of getting colorectal cancer from consuming processed meat.

The AICR also classified the consumption of red as “probably carcinogenic to humans” but the IARC said:

“Our own analyses show that such moderate consumption of red meat is not associated with a notable increase in colorectal cancer risk.”

Though both organization’s outlook is slightly different, the AICR wants people understand the basic message is a healthy diet, routine exercise, and weight management can significantly prevent colorectal cancer cases and could prevent a third of cancers and 340,000 cancer cases a year.

The AICR report would seem to be more in favor of the consumption of a whole food plant-based diet, while the IARC’s position would seem to support a diet high in fruits and vegetables, with the moderate consumption of red meats and the avoidance of all processed meats.