POLL: Is Bacon as Bad as Cigarettes?
A national physicians' group is planning a billboard just east of Urbandale that will compare bacon to cigarettes as a carcinogen. Them's fightin' words in Iowa. Take our poll and tell us what you think in our comments section.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is targeting Iowa, a state that produces more pork than any other, in its campaign to counter the surging popularity of bacon.
The group has paid for a billboard on Douglas Avenue just west of the Merle Hay Mall that will show strips of bacon in a cigarette box and say "Warning: Bacon can cause colorectal cancer," according to DesMoinesRegister.com
The Washington D.C.-based group picked Des Moines and even called out the city's annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival because, as Susan Levin of the physicians group told Register reporter Dan Piller, “Iowa is not only the nation’s largest pork producing state but because bacon has become so chic.”
The group lists several reasons not to eat bacon. It's high in fat, cholesterol and sodium, which can increase your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Cured and smoked meats also are a cancer risk, according to several studies by the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Less than two strips of bacon a day can increase a person's risk of colorectal cancer by 21 percent, according to the group.
How do you feel about bacon? Will this group's billboard influence how often you eat it? Take our Patch Poll.
Megan VerHelst
11:50 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
This photo makes me really want bacon......
Beth Dalbey
11:55 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
As a reformed smoker and a reformed bacon eater, I'll say that smoking, while hazardous to my health, was far more enjoyable than eating bacon. But even I know the throw-down that will ensue from speaking ill of bacon in a state that has a big ol' Bacon Fest every year.
Deb Belt
11:57 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I really want some bacon and eggs now. I've never smoked, so I guess bacon is my vice. Bring it on.
Stephen Schmidt
12:07 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Jim Gaffigan's rebuttal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaK9bjLy3v4
Beth Dalbey
12:10 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
In some Eastern European countries, salo (raw bacon fat or lard) is considered a delicacy. Just sayin' ...
Heather Clark
1:02 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
NOTA. I avoid eating it, for more than just health reasons. We Iowans may not want anyone telling us what to eat, but that doesn't meant PCRM's points are invalid or that the issue shouldn't be brought to people's attention so they can make an informed decision. Up to each person what that decision is for them.
Todd Richissin
4:37 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I have a confession dating back to this year's Iowa State Fair: After washing down my chocolate-covered bacon with a gigantic cold beer, I just had to have a cigarette. Just had to.
Scott Raynor
7:31 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Todd, that means you just flushed away 15 minutes of your life, which, in your case, means you missed your last breakfast/smoke-break.
tl
8:50 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
You realize that PITA is funding this behind the scenes. It was mentioned yesterday after this bogus research was debunked
Anne Carothers-Kay
7:01 am on Thursday, November 10, 2011
tl: PITA is funding the physicians group?
Benjamin B.
9:28 am on Wednesday, November 9, 2011
I think its kind of ridiculous that they are going as far as they are to say bacon is bad for you. We all know that there are many things in this world that are not the healthiest for us. Yet everyday we tend to consume many of them anyways. I say as long as its not Bacon with every meal, 7 days a week, a few slices here and there should be just fine. As they say, all things in moderation, right?
Beth Dalbey
9:55 am on Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Why not crusade against cheesecake, too?
Anne Carothers-Kay
11:04 am on Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Remember the milk is bad for you scare?
Beth Dalbey
11:48 am on Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Is butter better or worse than margarine? This is just a lot to keep track of.