Sausages link to bowel cancer risk

11:40am Friday 4th April 2008

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EATING just one sausage a day can radically increase the risk of developing one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

That is the message being spread by leading cancer experts at the start of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in an effort to bring down the bowel cancer death toll.

According to a study by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), eating 1.8oz (50g) of processed meat a day - the equivalent of one sausage or three rashers of bacon - raises the likelihood of the cancer by 20 per cent.

The sobering statistic adds to growing evidence that too much processed meat in the diet can be deadly.

Bowel cancer claims 16,000 lives a year in Britain, with lung cancer the only form of the disease that kills more. Almost 100 new cases are diagnosed every day.

York cancer patient Stephen Roose-Jones is backing the WCRF's campaign to make sure more people know about the risks of eating processed meat regularly.

He said: "It really is worth taking this advice on board. If you do eat a lot of sausages or bacon butties and you think your bowels aren't as great as they should be, then go and get it checked out because it could save your life.

"For anybody who does eat a lot of processed meat, the message is to cut down and try to get more fibre and fruit and vegetables in your diet instead."

The 57-year-old underwent life-saving surgery at York Hospital within two weeks of being diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2004.

After a further 26-weeks of chemotherapy, he went into remission for three years until this summer, when the cancer returned.

Stephen, of Fulford, York, has now had a further course of treatment and is now waiting for the results of a scan to see whether he has the all-clear again.

He works as director of fundraising at St Mark's Hospital, in Harrow, which is Europe's leading hospital in bowel diseases.

Processed meats - those preserved by smoking, salting and any other method apart from freezing - include bacon, ham, pastrami, salami and hot dogs.

Sausages, hamburgers and mince fall into the bracket if they have been preserved with salt or chemical additives.

The WCRF's medical and scientific adviser, Professor Martin Wiseman, said: "We are more sure now than ever before that eating processed meat increases your risk of bowel cancer and this is why WCRF recommends that people avoid eating it.

"When you consider that eating 50g of processed meat a day can increase your risk of bowel cancer by about a fifth, it is clear that you can make a positive difference by cutting out as much as possible."

Reduce your chances of bowel cancer

Top tips for reducing risk of bowel cancer:

• Any meat bought should be as lean as possible, with any visible fat trimmed before cooking. Limit yourself to 500g of red meat a week in cooked weight (750g uncooked). That is the equivalent of three medium steaks.

• Experiment with poultry and fish, and try to include some meat-free meals using beans or lentils.

• When making a chilli with mince, the quantity of meat can be halved and extra kidney beans added in its place.

• Diets rich in fish and fibre-loaded fruit and vegetables may also cut the risk of the cancer, as could cutting down on alcohol, exercising more and losing weight.