Comment on Experts urge Government to ban supermarket bacon after link to 50,000 cancer cases
PhilipTheBucket@piefed.social 4 days agoYou can absolutely make things that both taste good and also don’t cause cancer. This isn’t like “being vegan will extend your lifespan so everyone has to be vegan” type of thing, it is very directly a specific preservative they chose to put in that is straight-up killing people.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 3 days ago
So is bacon even the problem, or just an ingredient they are often using in processing it?
PhilipTheBucket@piefed.social 3 days ago
I think it is nitrates. I mean, I am sure there are other preservatives that are harmful but nitrates is the class of chemical that usually is what is killing people in this context. Almost any type of “processed” meat is going to give you significantly elevated risk of cancer if you eat it regularly.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 3 days ago
From a quick search bacon contains 5.5mg of nitrate per 100g. My tap water contains about 20mg per pint. If this is such a problem then shouldn’t we be looking at the water companies first?
yakko@feddit.uk 3 days ago
It might not be so simple, it may depend on more detailed aspects of how it affects your system. Sort of like how different forms of protein have different actual effects on your macros based on bioavailability. It’s bio-sciences, so the answers can’t be depended on for simplicity.