The Hot Dog and Red Meat Wars: How the Media Keeps Getting Meat Wrong

The Hot Dog and Red Meat Wars: How the Media Keeps Getting Meat Wrong

The elite media launched another attack on meat recently, this time targeting the all-American hot dog and other processed meats.

The basis for the latest anti-meat drama was a meta-analysis of 60 different dietary studies, which also included sugars and trans fats.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 60 previous studies on the relationship between processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages and trans fatty acids in a person’s diet and their risk of type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer and ischemic heart disease, which reduces blood supply to the heart and cuts off oxygen and nutrients, according to the study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.

“Habitual consumption of even small amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks, and trans fatty acids is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Demewoz Haile, a research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle.

The data showed that people who ate as little as one hot dog a day when it comes to processed meats had an 11% greater risk of type 2 diabetes and a 7% increased risk of colorectal cancer than those who didn’t eat any. And drinking the equivalent of about a 12-ounce soda per day was associated with an 8% increase in type 2 diabetes risk and a 2% increased risk of ischemic heart disease.

“This current research has shown, yet again and consistent with prior research … that to achieve health gains it is best to avoid or minimize the habitual consumption of each of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs),” said Dr. Nita Forouhi, head of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She was not involved in the research.

Yes, regularly drinking sugar and eating fatty foods can have an adverse effect on health. Common sense and experience bear that out. However, all the headlines I read targeted meat.

It is true that salted, cured, smoked, or canned meat does contain a variety of potentially problematic compounds. For example, nitrates found in these foods can form N-nitroso compounds in the body, which damage cells lining the bowel and are strongly linked to bowel cancer.

I would like to know what other items were being consumed along with the meat recorded in the 60 studies. How many other processed items were being ingested along with the meat? Furthermore, what environmental or individual factors are at play? I would posit that a person eating a hot dog daily may not be making other wise health choices.

The “experts” combined these 60 studies, then put out the news that even one hot dog is….unsafe.

There is no “safe amount,” said Nita Forouhi, a nutrition expert at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

At first, the increased risks may seem small, said Mingyang Song, an associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

But, he added, “when we look at the actual data there, it’s really remarkably consistent and remarkably strong, and even in the lower dose of consumption, we can still see an increased risk of disease.”

Researchers used a method called burden-of-proof — a newer type of meta-analysis that weighs both the results and the quality of many past studies.

Finally, I would like to point out that some articles featured red meat in their images. Red meat is an essential part of a healthy diet.

I will simply point out that the red meat featured in the news article is not processed meat, but red meat – which is an essential part of a health diet. pic.twitter.com/qnqtxnQsL2

— Leslie Eastman ☥ (@Mutnodjmet) September 16, 2025

It is true that Americans likely rely too much on pre-prepared. I would recommend that those who would like to avoid processed foods turn to some of my favorite appliances: Crock-Pots and rice cookers.

When I was raising my son, sites like The Magical Slow Cooker were so helpful. When he moved into his own apartment, I ensured he had the necessary appliances to reduce his reliance on pre-prepared food. I am proud to say, he knows how to cook a delicious steak accompanied by a baked potato.

But the reality is that an occasional hot dog is not going to kill you. However, I’m about to overdose on a toxic level of “expert” warnings.

The “experts” will never get me to give up by ball park hot dog, especially when it is paired with a cold craft beer. pic.twitter.com/ochWUgm2q7

— Leslie Eastman ☥ (@Mutnodjmet) September 16, 2025

Image by perplexity.ai

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