Cancer and diabetes linked to hot dogs and processed meats

My hot dog has a first name, it’s “C-A-N-C-E-R”…

Recent studies are continuing to find out more of the pitfalls to eating processed foods.  The Cancer Project just erected a billboard near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway warning NASCAR Sprint Cup fans that chowing down on hot dogs could seriously damage their health.

Last year, at the Indianapolis 500 race, concession stands at the speedway served more than 1.1 million hot dogs. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research:

…”just one 50-gram serving of processed meat (about the amount in one hot dog) consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent.”

Every year, about 143,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and approximately 53,000 die of it.  Studies also show a strong link between other types of cancer and processed meats. An NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study found that processed red meat was associated with a 10 percent increased risk of prostate cancer with every 10 grams of increased intake. A study in Taiwan showed that consumption of cured and smoked meat can increase children’s risk for leukemia. A study in Australia found that women’s risk for ovarian cancer increased as a result of eating processed meats.  –PCRM

But that’s not all folks!

Recent studies are also showing that eating processed meats can also drastically increase your chances of type 2 diabetes.

A new study conducted by Harvard researchers shows that people who eat one 3.5-ounce serving of processed meat — equivalent to two slices of bacon, or a hot dog — every day have a 51 percent increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers examined the health and diet data of about 37,000 men for 20 years and 80,000 women for 28 years, who were part of large, separate studies. They also combined the data from those studies with data from past studies that included nearly 445,000 people, 28,000 of whom developed Type 2 diabetes.  -Huff post

So, what do we do?

If this isn’t enough to get you to swear off processed foods, especially processed meats, check out this photo of mechanically separated chicken.  Your best bet is to go old school.  Buy meat and vegetables, and cook them yourself!  Eat more vegetarian dishes, explore seafood, and stay away from almost everything in a box!  This will save you money, save your waistline, and may even save your LIFE!  Convenience food is definitely becoming less convenient…