There are few things as irresistible as a sizzling slice of bacon first thing in the morning. However, while many people know that bacon isn’t the most nutritious food, recent reports have linked this scrumptious red meat to cancer. As such, you may wonder whether there’s a scientific connection between bacon and cancer, as well as how much bacon you can safely eat — and whether there are any ways to reduce any associated health risks. This article examines the research to determine whether bacon causes cancer.
How much bacon should you eat?
A study including nearly 475,000 people associated each 20-gram increase in daily processed meat intake — which equals around 2 slices of bacon — with an 18% higher risk of colorectal cancer over 7 years. Thus, eating even a few slices of bacon per day may harm your health in the long run.
Still, while bacon may not be the healthiest breakfast option, you don’t need to cut it out of your diet altogether. In fact, you can enjoy bacon from time to time as part of a healthy, well-rounded diet, as long as you’re pairing it with plenty of nutritious, minimally processed ingredients. If you eat bacon regularly, aim to decrease your intake as much as possible, but feel free to enjoy it once or twice per week as an occasional indulgence.
Summary: It’s safe to eat bacon occasionally as part of a balanced diet, but you should try to lower your intake substantially and pair it with a variety of minimally processed, whole foods.
Cooking tips to lower bacon’s cancer risk
One of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the cancer-causing compounds in bacon is to switch your cooking method. That’s because many harmful, cancer-causing compounds are produced during what’s called Maillard browning reactions, which are chemical reactions that occur between proteins and sugars when they’re exposed to high temperatures.
Therefore, pan-frying and high heat baking may be particularly dangerous. Simply cooking bacon at a lower temperature may decrease the concentration of these harmful compounds. Some research also shows that microwaving bacon reduces the amount of nitrosamines compared with pan-frying.
You should also buy uncured, nitrate-free bacon whenever possible and look for products that contain low levels of sodium.
Summary: Cooking bacon at a lower temperature or microwaving it may minimize its concentration of harmful compounds. Furthermore, it’s best to shop for uncured, nitrate-free bacon that’s low in sodium.
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