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Harvard University study suggests that people who eat bacon
are at least five times a week are 59 percent more likely
to develop bladder cancer than those who don't eat it at
all. The study also posits that people who frequently eat
skinless chicken are 52 percent more likely to develop the
same disease.
The possible culprits are chemicals called nitrosamines
and heterocyclic amines, according to the study, which appears
in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . Nitrosamines,
known to be carcinogenic in large quantities, often are
found in high levels in bacon. Heterocyclic amines, also
known carcinogens, form when meat is cooked at high temperatures.
Compared to skinless chicken, chicken with skin is known
to contain smaller amounts of heterocyclic amines.
A team with Boston's Harvard School of Public Health studied
data on nearly 136,000 people who were evaluated for up
to 22 years, during which some 808 developed bladder cancer.
However, researchers also found that people who ate bacon
and other processed meats were also more likely to smoke,
and consume more fat and fewer vitamins. They also were
less likely to exercise.
Bottom line: More research is needed to determine if causality
can be established between high levels of bacon and chicken
consumption and bladder cancer.
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