Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world's largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years. FREQUENT HEARTBURN MAY BE A WARNING SIGN OF A MORE DANGEROUS CONDITION, DOCTOR SAYSThe study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study's press release.During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease.(iStock)Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.BACTERIA IN YOUR MOUTH MAY TRAVEL TO THE GUT AND TRIGGER STOMACH CANCER, RESEARCH FINDSAfter adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%.
Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according ...