SPECIAL FEATURES:
Email
Should hot dogs come with a warning label?
Nonprofit group says consumers should view the popular summer food as a health risk on par with cigarettes.
Tue, Jul 26 2011 at 5:31 PM
Related Topics:
Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons
We all know the damage that cigarettes can cause to our health, but should hot dogs be given the same cold shoulder? According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit that advocates for a plant-based diet and preventative medicine, that answer is yes — and this is but one of many processed foods that are slowly killing us.
The group released a billboard near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway featuring several hot dogs in a cigarette box with a skull and crossbones on the front. It reads: “Warning: Hot dogs can wreck your health,” and is meant to make race fans think twice about eating the popular food.
An estimated 62 percent of Americans eat some form of processed pork, with the average person eating 32 pounds a year!
“A hot dog a day could send you to an early grave,” says PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “Processed meats like hot dogs can increase your risk for diabetes, heart disease and various types of cancer. Like cigarettes, hot dogs should come with a warning label that helps racing fans and other consumers understand the health risk.”
While some might chalk this up as a publicity stunt by a pro-vegetarian group, the science linking processed meats to an increase in cancer risk is rather convincing. A 2007 study using data from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund found that consuming just 50 grams of processed meat (think one hot dog) daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent.
It gets worse. As MNN blogger Chanie Kirschner recently pointed out, a 2005 study at the University of Hawaii linked consumption of processed meats to a 67 percent increase in the risk for pancreatic cancer. Researchers, however, were quick to point out that the link may have more to do with the way the processed meats are prepared, rather than their contents.
Either way, moderation should be the overarching theme of any healthy diet. If you're one of those Americans averaging over 32 pounds of processed pork annually, consider cutting back or eliminating that habit altogether. If you're at the ballpark or other sports venue, also try and seek out some kind of healthier alternative — like a black bean burger or fresh salad.
What do you think, MNN readers? Will you be cutting back on your summer hot dog eating?
Also on MNN:
- Which Major League Baseball and National Football League stadiums are the most vegetarian-friendly?
- Is organic food worth the cost?
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
You might also like:
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
EDITORS' PICKS
Advertisement
TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON
- Student science experiment finds plants won't grow near Wi-Fi router
- 15 famous people who mysteriously disappeared
- How to get a second crop of tomatoes -- for free
- 9 habits that may do more harm than good
- 10 false facts most people think are true
- Bras don't actually work, says French study
- 5 mind-bending facts about dreams
- 15 houseplants to improve indoor air quality
- 10 cats made famous by YouTube
- Food fraud: 10 counterfeit products we commonly consume
From our sponsor
NEWSLETTER
ABOUT Michael d'Estries
Pop-culture expert covers green celebrities, arts & culture.
Advertisement
THANK GOD I DONT EAT MEAT
HOT DOGS SHOULD COME WITH A WARNING LABEL BECAUSE THEY PUT BONES AND GRIND IT UP AND THEY PUT SMOKES IN THERE HOT DOGS IS JUST DEATH ALL IN ON E
the article talks about processed pork how about all beef hot dogs?
Well it is obvious there should be a $2 tax added to each pack of hotdogs, and a 50 cents tax added to every concession stand hot dog sold to help protect the public from it's own ignorance.
I think they're talking pork product hot dogs here. I eat only all beef kosher hot dogs. Am I safe?!!
No, beef has more saturated fats than pork.
save the country. Eat a vegetarian!!
Yeah, let's put the government in charge of more things in our?!? Has anyone ever heard of personal responsibility and choice? First of all, I highly doubt that there are many people out there pounding down a pack of hot dogs a day. Hot dogs in moderation won't hurt anyone! Stop with the stupidity and fear mongering.
...unless you happen to be at Coney Island on the 4th of July.
Stupidest arguement about hot dogs came when I was eating one next to someone having a bologna sandwich. She looked at me and said disgustedly, "Do you know what they put in hot dogs?" I looked at her and said, "yeah. Know what they put in bologna?...the stuff that's left over after making hot dogs."
She got mad and left...go figure.
Dear Truthfulster:
I got two points from your charming story. First, anyone who does not agree with you, or god forbid offers you advice, is retarded. Second, your fondest memory is throwing rocks at small children and making them bleed from the head. Have a nice life.
Then by all means, please eat 4 or more hotdogs per week. Maybe we won't have to listen to your bigoted ramblings much longer.
Then by all means, please eat 4 or more hotdogs per week. Maybe we won't have to listen to your bigoted ramblings much longer.
Whaaaaaaa?????
Who gave them the funding to do this so called study??? I smell PETA!
I worked in the meat packing business when I was in college. Hot dogs were called salvage meat. The conventional wisdom was the only part of the pig that wasn't wasted was the squeal ... and they were looking for a use for that.
I saw first hand what went into hot dogs and haven't eaten one since.
If we could all stop and see how things are made that we eat. We would be eating nothing. We have an FDA to watch what is made and how it is made. Make them do their job and the "Private" organizations funded by PETA can just go away.
Everything in moderation. A hot dog or other kind of processed meat is not necessarily bad thing once in a while. I love to grill hot dogs and sausages a few times a year, which does not equate to 32 lbs of processed pork. How about turkey dogs, which I prefer anyway. What about the risk of dying from e-coli or salmnoella from eating a salad? At least you know a hot dog is not going to kill you the same day.
So since I don't have a colon and therefore can't get colon cancer, does that mean that I have less risk from eating hot dogs? Is the warning going to have an astrisk for people like me?
Pages