Tom Elliott takes aim at report linking bacon and salami with cancer

3AW Drive host Tom Elliott has taken aim at a report from the World Health Organisation that suggested a disturbing link between processed meats and cancer.

And he’s got medical support on the issue.

The report highlighted a causal link between the consistent consumption of meats like bacon and salami with certain types of cancer.

‘The problem with doctors looking at statistics is that most doctors don’t understand how statistics work,’ Tom Elliott exclaimed on 3AW Drive.

‘In this case, the World Health Organisation will promote something saying consistent consumption of processed meat increases your risk of cancer by 18 per cent.

‘I had to do a lot of delving around to find that the risk in a person’s lifetime of getting colorectal cancer is about five per cent.

‘Therefore, an 18 per cent increase of five per cent takes you to six per cent.

‘I don’t think we should be that worried about that.’

Professor Dallas English, epidemiologist from University of Melbourne and The Cancer Council of Victoria, agreed.

‘It’s not a very strong risk factor,’ he said on 3AW Drive.

‘Because it’s classified as a carcinogen, people are suddenly equating it with things like smoking and so forth.’

Click PLAY below to hear Tom Elliott speak with Professor Dallas English.