“For example, I like hot dogs – but I only eat them once every three months,” said Nomeli P. Nunez, associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State’s Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions.
On Monday, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” (group 1) based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of it causes colorectal cancer.
The IARC noted that the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of consuming processed meat remains small, but increases with the amount of meat consumed. The experts said that each 50-gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
“I don’t eat hot dogs that often, so I don’t worry about it,” Nunez said.
Nunez’ research investigates the mechanisms behind obesity and alcohol consumption acting as risk factors in breast cancer. For more about Nunez and his scholarship, visit http://snhp.gsu.edu/profile/nomeli-p-nunez-ph-d-m-p-h/.
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