After having already talked about it enough in this article , and having seen the research results of Epic studies in the past, and the recommendations published on the Italian website of the IARC, I already knew that red and processed meats were linked to health risks for the man, and in particular for some neoplasms, including that of the colorectal. The distinction between red and processed meats was already there, in theory, but as you all know, a new document issued by the IARC of Lyone has introduced some categories to better identify the substances or foods at risk .

These categories have been created starting not from the degree of dangerousness of foods and substances, as many might think, but from how much the experts have collected clear evidence or not, therefore based on the number of data on the probable correlations between certain foods and the risk of develop certain diseases. Which, if you are struggling to try to understand what it means, also pushes me to clarify the whole matter, without creating alarmism. In fact, it is now known that unprocessed, or fresh, red meats represent only a probable risk of carcinogenicity and are positively associated only with some types of neoplasms, those of the colorectal.

What does it mean? That processed meats can cause cancer just like smoking and exposure to some chemical agents, and that instead the consumption of too much fresh red meat (by fresh I mean: unprocessed, i.e. not subjected to industrial processing) is associated with a probable risk of some types of neoplasia (group 2 A).

WHO GUIDELINES, IN (EASY) SUMMARY

Okay, but what does that mean, exactly? I will try to explain it to the papal . I know it seems ugly to say that I explain these things to the papal, but the publication of the IARC has raised many doubts, doubts that perhaps they will have come to you too. What are the foods that fall into the category of processed meats? Are we sure we know them all? And are they really telling us that you can put two slices of salami on the same level with, say, three cigarettes?