FERGUSON: Science breaks bacon lovers hearts
Scientific discoveries tend to be a mixed bag for us emotionally. Everyone was really pleased when Jonas Salk came up with the first vaccine for polio, for example. But other breakthroughs have been met with a lot less enthusiasm.
The recent announcement by the World Health Organization that consumption of processed meats (such as hot dogs, luncheon meat and bacon) has been linked to an increase in the risk for developing colon cancer is one of those discoveries that has not been well-received by the general public. In fact it has been met with cries of anguish in some quarters.
There seems to be a tendency to want to shoot the messenger when studies like this are published, but our hostility is misplaced. Scientists merely test, observe results and draw conclusions based on those results. They are not trying to ruin our lives, though it often seems that when their studies examine what is healthy and unhealthy for us to eat.
It does seem personal sometimes though, doesn't it? I like bacon myself, but some people seem to have a real love affair with it. This announcement has caused them some real emotional pain, as they struggle to decide if they should keep eating the food they love even if it means playing Russian roulette with the health of their intestines.
A popular refrain among those truly stung by this research has been something along the lines of "I have so few things in life that truly make me happy, and now they want me to give up bacon? What is there left to live for?" But is it really that serious? Just how big a risk are you taking if you don't lay off the sausages and salamis? Let's look at the data from the WHO report and see how concerned we should really be.
According to the report, a person who eats just two ounces of processed meat a day will increase their chances of getting colorectal cancer by 18 percent. So if you eat more than that, it's likely the odds will go up even higher. The risk factor is not insignificant.
But to keep things in perspective, that risk is relatively modest compared to more serious cancer-causing behavior like smoking tobacco, and is on par with other risk factors for developing colon cancer such as being overweight and living a sedentary lifestyle. The world is full of things that are thought to increase our risk of developing cancer, in other words, and we all have to decide which ones we like well enough to accept the risks that go along with them.
If eating bacon every day is what really gives you pleasure in life, you're probably willing to accept the risk and keep on indulging. If you are less passionate about it you might want to take this information into account and only indulge in it as an occasional treat. And if you're a vegetarian, you can enjoy this opportunity to feel smugly satisfied with your decision to avoid meat entirely.
Another important thing to note here is that the best thing you can do to avoid dying from colon cancer has nothing to do with what you eat. Your best defense against it is to be screened for it starting at age 50 and again every five to 10 years afterward for the rest of your life.
A lot of people won't do it because it's a rather unpleasant process that involves having a little camera inserted into your body in a place where you'd rather not have anything inserted. I know just how unpleasant it is, because I've already had four of them due to some health issues I've had to deal with, and I will have to have it done every three years for the rest of my life.
But I survived them and I'm not particularly tough, so if I can do it you can too. It's important. Colon cancer is very treatable if caught in its early stages, but it can very fatal if it is not. Whether you eat bacon like it's going out of style or never touch the stuff, listen to your doctor and have the screening done when he or she says it's time.
Bill Ferguson is a resident of Warner Robins. Readers can write him at fergcolumn@hotmail.com.
This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 10:12 PM with the headline "FERGUSON: Science breaks bacon lovers hearts ."