Red meat (IARC Group 2A)
In the body: IARC classes red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans, for colorectal cancer. That is how sure the evidence is, not how big the risk is.
Not rated by dose: a flag on 4 reviewed foods, among them ground beef, Beef steak, top loin, grilled and Pork sausage, pan-fried.
Background. Shown, not scored: no dose basis at normal intake, a classification rather than a risk, or legal limits only.
The reference value and where it comes from
Reviewed foods that carry it
4 reviewed foods carry it; none is rated by dose.
How often you can eat it ?
No food here is rated by dose. Each line says why it’s listed: a flag for the people the source names, advice on handling it, or context.
Flags and context, not rated by dose
How it’s rated
Context, not rated. IARC Group 2A, probably carcinogenic to humans: "the classification is based on limited evidence from epidemiological studies showing positive associations between eating red meat and developing colorectal cancer as well as strong mechanistic evidence." The group describes the strength of the evidence, not the size of the risk. IARC's own arithmetic, "if the association ... were proven to be causal", is a 17% higher colorectal cancer risk for every 100 g portion of red meat eaten daily; this is a relative figure from the cohorts, not a dose limit, and is not used to rate the food.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: food category: red meat (all mammalian muscle meat, beef named)
How it’s rated
Shown as context, not rated: IARC classes red meat as Group 2A, probably carcinogenic to humans (limited evidence in humans, for colorectal cancer; strong mechanistic evidence). The group describes the strength of the evidence, not how likely cancer is at a given intake, and IARC gives no level of concern or reference value.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: food category: red meat (all mammalian muscle meat, beef named)
Pork chop, pan-friedContext
Pork sausage, pan-friedContext
How it’s rated
Context, not rated. IARC Group 1, carcinogenic to humans, for processed meat: "there is convincing evidence that the agent causes cancer"; IARC: "every 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by about 18%", a relative figure from 10 studies, not a dose limit, and "does NOT" mean it is as dangerous as tobacco. IARC defines processed meat as "meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes" and lists "hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages" among the examples.
Intake: not applicable (flag)
Measured on: food category: processed meat (IARC examples include sausages); pork is also red meat
Sources
- IARC, Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat (2015)
iarc-vol114-qa-2015· full text read · IARC 2015, all rights reserved