1. It can increase the risk of some types of cancer
Processed meats, such as sausages, are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as Group 1 carcinogens, the class of substances with the strongest evidence of being carcinogenic to humans. Other things that fall into this category include tobacco and asbestos.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) conducted a review of more than 800 studies from 10 different countries to look at the relationship between processed meat intake and colorectal cancer. It found that eating 50 grams of processed meat per day, or just one sausage, can increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.
A child's risk of developing a brain tumor from eating one hot dog per week is 7 times higher than the risk of developing a brain tumor from regular cell phone use. Eating hot dogs also increases the risk of leukemia in children by 950%.
Eating processed meat has also been shown to increase the risk of bladder, breast and stomach cancer
2. Not good for heart health
A 2014 study published in Public Health Nutrition looked at the relationship between eating red and processed meat and the risk of death from heart disease. A data set of 150,000 deaths clearly showed that the more red and processed meat they ate, the more likely they were to die of heart disease.
A 2014 study in Circulation looked at data on more than 37,000 Swedish men aged 45 to 79 with no history of heart disease. Men who ate at least 75 grams of processed meat per day had a 1.28 higher risk of heart failure and a 2.43 higher risk of dying from heart failure.
3. Increase your risk of type 2 diabetes
People who eat processed meats like sausage have an approximately 20-30% higher risk of developing diabetes per 30 grams.
They are high in nitrates and nitrites, two compounds that make up nitrosamines that can damage the cells of the pancreas that make insulin.
4. Contains questionable ingredients
People find very strange, even dangerous things inside sausages on a regular basis.
Here's a short list: rubber bands, plastic, clumps of hair, glass, insects, buttons, and pills. There may also be other unexpected animal parts used to make sausage.
