QUESTION: Does eating smoked fish, such as smoked salmon or whitefish, increase the risk of colorectal cancer or other cancers, the way processed and deli meats do?

ANSWER: It might. From a cancer risk perspective, the American Institute for Cancer Research considers smoked and cured fish in the same category as processed meats. Though other cancer research groups are less clear on whether eating smoked and cured fish carries the same risks as eating processed meats.

In 2015, a working group of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meat as a carcinogen, saying there was sufficient evidence that it causes colorectal cancer. This was a big deal, because very rarely do scientists use the word “cause” when it comes to food and disease. The researchers who reviewed the evidence, however, did not look specifically at smoked or cured fish in their evaluation. For now, according to a spokeswoman from the IARC, their answer to the question of whether eating smoked or cured fish affects cancer risk is, “We don’t know.”

“Processed meat” refers to meats that have been treated through techniques that boost flavor and preservation, such as curing, fermenting, salting and smoking. The category includes hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage, jerky, pepperoni, deli meats (such as bologna, smoked turkey and salami) and any sauces made with these products (such as pork sausage ragu or bacon salad dressing).

The WHO announcement also classified red meat — meat from mammals, such as beef, pork, lamb and goat — as “probably carcinogenic,” citing possible links to pancreatic and prostate cancers in addition to colorectal cancer.

“Even though it’s possible that processed fish and even chicken and turkey could be better alternatives” than processed red meats, which carry additional potential health concerns, “for now we have to look at all of it as processed meat,” said Alice Bender, the senior director of nutrition programs at the AICR. “We can’t say that one is better than the other.”

Bender, a registered dietitian, suggests limiting consumption of smoked and cured fish, enjoying it as an occasional treat versus eating it every day, for the same reasons you should limit processed meats.

She notes that the processing itself appears to be the underlying issue when it comes to cancer risk. As with meat products, salmon and other types of fish are often smoked or cured to enhance flavor and preservation.

Although the AICR advises against eating too much smoked or cured fish, other cancer research organizations do not yet draw a conclusion one way or another.

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