Cancer Project Warns About Cancer Risk From Hot Dogs
An organization named the Cancer Project is warning consumers that eating hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of colorectal cancer.
But hot dogs and other processed meats increase the risk of colorectal cancer and should be avoided completely, according to a landmark report on diet and cancer risk by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund. The scientists announced that when it comes to colon cancer, there is absolutely no amount of processed meat that's safe to eat.
In fact, according to researchers, just one 50-gram serving of bacon, sausage, deli meats or other processed meat (think one hot dog) daily increases our risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent.
Reuters reports that the organization has launched a billboard (pictured above) just outside of Wrigly Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball park. The organization wants warning labels placed near where hot dogs are sold.
What the Cancer Project asked in a letter to Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney dated Aug. 3, however, is for the team to place "dietary disaster" warning labels near where hot dogs are sold at the ballpark since processed meats have been linked to colorectal cancer.
"Baseball stadiums need to be frank about the cancer risk posed by hot dogs and other processed meats," Krista Haynes, a Cancer Project dietitian, said in a statement.
"Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer," she added. "Like cigarettes, hot dogs should come with a warning label that helps baseball fans and other consumers understand the health risk."
Reuters says 21 million hot dogs are expected to be sold at U.S. major league ballparks this season alone, which is why the organization is targeting ball parks.
