Cancer Prevention Action Week

Only 43% of Brits are aware that bowel cancer can be a consequence of eating processed meat, and over a quarter (27%) admit that they are not worried about the potential impact processed meat could have on their health – specifically their risk of bowel cancer. This is significant because 54% of bowel cancer cases can be prevented.

Those are the findings from research commissioned by World Cancer Research Fund for Cancer Prevention Action Week (20^th -26^th February) which aims to raise awareness of how, on average, around 40% of all cancer cases are preventable.

This year the focus is on the steps that people can take to reduce their risk of bowel cancer, highlighting the link between this and processed meat. A few places to start include reducing portion sizes of processed meat – for example, if eating ham, have one slice rather than two and checking the ingredients list for words like nitrate, cured or salted. If you see these words, it’s processed meat.

Aston spoke to Dr Helen Croker, head of research interpretation at World Cancer Research Fund and Matthew Lambert, health information and promotion manager at World Cancer Research Fund.