Harvard scientists found people who ate bacon at least five times a week were 59% more likely to develop the bladder cancer than those who never did. The study appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Dr. Dominique S. Michaud of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and her colleagues looked at data for 47,422 men and 88,471 women participating in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurse’s Health Study, respectively. Participants were followed for up to 22 years, during which time 808 developed bladder cancer.
They also found people who frequently ate skinless chicken had a 52% greater risk.
The researchers suggest that nitrosamines, heterocyclic amines, or both are responsible for the health effects of bacon seen in the current study, but they note that their findings must be confirmed by other research teams before any conclusions can be made.