Child cancer risk from cured meats unknown to parents, study reveals

Chemicals found in processed meats like bacon are linked to causing cancer
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30 August 2018

Children are consuming large amounts of cancerous compounds from cured meats without enough parental awareness of the health risks, research reveals today.

The study, conducted by ComRes, found that 33 per cent of youngsters eat processed meat every other day.

Most cooked ham, bacon and dry-style sausages are cured using nitrites that extend the product’s shelf life.

However, health risks arise when the digestive system converts nitrites into cancer-causing compounds.

In the survey of 2,051 parents in the UK, 53 per cent were “completely unaware of links between the chemicals and cancer”.

Gillian Creevy, chief executive of the charity Cancer Fund for Children, said: “It is worrying that so few people seem to know about these nitrites and the evidence linking them to colorectal cancer.”

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