Bacon, among the worst processed meats you could eat for your health, along with skinless chicken elevate your risk of bladder cancer, according to a new study.
Scientists monitored the health of some 135,000 patients over a 22-year period to investigate the link, during which some 800 developed bladder cancer. Bacon was the leading offender, as eating it five or more times a week increased a patient's bladder cancer risks by 59 percent. What's even more interesting is that skinless chicken also elevated one's bladder cancer risks by 52 percent.
The likely culprit that makes bacon and skinless chicken so harmful, aside from processing: The heterocyclic amines that form when meat is cooked is high temperatures.
If you're eating meat loaded with pesticides and hormones, then cook it at high temperatures, you're asking for trouble. That's why I limit my meat choices when possible to grass-fed and organic meats.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 84, No. 5, November 2006: 1177-1183Yahoo News November 27, 2006