26 Oct 2015 Press Release – Cancer Risk on Bacon and Cured Meats

Today, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer has released a report warning that bacon, ham and sausages are as big a cancer threat as cigarettes. Experts at the Agency have ranked cured and processed meats amongst the top 5 most carcinogenic substances to humans as alcohol, asbestos, arsenic and cigarettes.

The Director of Communications for BANT – Daniel O’Shaughnessy said: “The British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) position on cured and processed meats is clear: They should be consumed only occasionally, and as part of a diet that includes a minimum of 5 portions of brightly-coloured vegetables (and ideally more) and 2 portions of fruit, daily. This advice has previously been published as part of BANT’s Wellbeing Guidelines in September 2015.”

BANT’s Wellbeing Guidelines provide the most up-to-date nutrition and lifestyle recommendations based on the latest scientific evidence, which sadly has been ignored by the “EatWell Plate”. Cancer is a complex disease of multifactorial aetiology, but the evidence points to the fact that minimising nutritional contributing factors is likely to have beneficial effects.

BANT is delighted that the recommendations published in the Wellbeing Guidelines are echoed and ratified by the World Health Organisation.

For further information please contact:
Daniel O’Shaughnessy
Director of Communications, BANT
[email protected]
T: 07540 722307