A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report classed processed meats as carcinogenic, and so products such as bacon and salami found themselves categorised alongside formaldehyde, gamma radiation and cigarettes. Red meat was also labelled as "probably" having cancer causing properties.
Eating just a 50g portion of processed meat - or two rashers of bacon a day - increases the risk of bowel cancer by 18 per cent, the experts concluded. However, others believe the risk is not as serious as that.
5. ...as well as your chance of having heart disease.
Scientists recently found that red meat is linked to heart disease. A study by Lerner Research Institute in the US showed that carnitine, a nutrient found in the meat, sets off gut microbe reactions that contribute to the development of heart disease.
"This adds to the growing body of data reinforcing a connection between red meat, carnitine ingestion and heart disease development," said lead author Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of Translational Research for the Lerner Research Institute and Section Head of Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation, according to a report by the Cleveland Health Clinic.