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NAIROBI: Health experts now want Kenyans to cut down on sausages and other processed meats after the World Health Organisation (WHO) linked them to cancer.
In its latest report, WHO said there is now "sufficient evidence" that consuming about 50 grams of processed meat daily — the equivalent of one and a half sausages—increases one's risks of getting cancer by as much as 18 per cent.
The study also found that consuming unprocessed red meat such as beef, pork, lamb, mutton and goat in large amounts "probably" causes of cancer.
The revelation has been greeted with alarm among Kenyans who consume large amounts of processed meats like sausages, bacon, ham and nyama choma.
But health experts in the country have said the new WHO advisory should be a wakeup call to Kenyans to reduce their high intakes of processed meats as well red meats generally.
Kenya Medical Association National Chairperson Dr Elly Nyaim expressed concern that many Kenyans are consuming excessive amounts of both processed and red meats thereby increasing their chances of getting cancer.
He advised that processed meats should be largely avoided while red meats should be consumed in moderation since they also have essential nutrients for the body.
"We cannot condemn red meats all together because they are a good source of iron and zinc minerals to the body. But they should not been eaten daily or in high amounts," he said.
Honorary Lecturer in the University of Nairobi Dr Ahmed Kalebi that the risk of getting cancer increases with the amount of processed meat consumed.
Dr Kalebi, who is also the CEO of Pathologists Lancet Kenya which conducts lab tests on cancers, said that processed meats have chemical compounds that increase risks of getting cancer.
“It has always been known that considerable consumption of processed meats is unhealthy. This study simply confirms it by looking at the results of many past scientific studies," he said.
He added: "Reducing the intake or processed meats and red meat should also be accompanied by other lifestyle changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising and quitting alcohol and smoking."
Dr Kalebi said that for the first time, processed meats have been classified together with tobacco consumption in terms of increasing one's risks of getting cancer.
Processed meats include hot dogs, sausages, bacon corned beef, canned meat or meat-based sauces have been found to increase risks of cancer of the colon, pancreas as well as prostate. At least 80 Kenyans are believed to die daily due to cancer while 40,000 are diagnosed with the disease every year, raising alarm bells among health experts. The figures are believed to be far higher because the data collected is only in Nairobi.
The WHO report came after experts reviewed 800 previous research studies on cancer in humans that saw a link between processed and red meats with cancer.
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