Cancer alert raised over sausages and ham

Eating sausages, ham and other processed meats causes colon cancer, and red meat probably does too, an arm of the World Health Organization said on Monday.

The findings support recommendations to limit intake of meat, said the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which compiled a review of more than 800 studies on the link between a meat diet and cancer.

"In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance," agency official Kurt Straif said in a statement.