By Jessica Domel

Beef. It is STILL what’s for dinner in my home.

I’ve seen a plethora of news stories and online posts sensationalizing a report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization, that claims processed meats like bacon could cause cancer.

These reports go on to say that because of that fuzzy science and a confusing classification system, it is possible red meat causes cancer as well.

Here’s the thing: anything can be bad for you if you consume too much of it.

Eating too many carrots can cause some people to temporarily display an orange hue. Consuming too much sugar over long periods of time can cause weight gain and other health issues.

I’m not a doctor, but I am a savvy shopper and a diligent researcher.

Experts say we are all born with a small risk of developing colon cancer at some point in our lives. Some are at a higher risk than others due to genetics, environment and lifestyle choices.

The baseline is about five percent. We all have about that chance for getting colorectal cancer. If you eat a hot dog every day, your chance goes up to six percent, according to Dr. David Agus, a leading cancer specialist and the doctor quoted in the CBS News article on the matter.

By the way, IARC has also announced that shift work that disrupts sleep patterns could also cause cancer. As could carpentry, pickled vegetables, welding fumes and occasional exposure to dry cleaning.

Next year, they’re going after coffee.

IARC’s logic is simply fuzzy. Scientists on their panel discussed the issue for seven days and could not come to a unanimous agreement on the issue. Yet they issued the report saying it’s probable.

Science doesn’t support IARC’s claim. And neither do I.