Doctor-Led Protest Confronts McDonald’s on May 7

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Local physician Christie Cobb, M.D., will lead a protest with signs reading “Break Up with Bacon” at the McDonald’s near St. Vincent Hospital at 104 South University Ave., Little Rock, Ark., on Tuesday, May 7, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine—a nonprofit with 12,000 doctor members—will partner with member Dr. Christie Cobb to warn Little Rock residents about the negative health consequences of eating bacon.

“Your colon is not lovin’ the bacon McDonald’s is serving,” says Dr. Christie Cobb. “McDonald’s should warn customers about the colorectal cancer risk every time they purchase a bacon item.”

What: “Break Up with Bacon” demonstration

Who: Dr. Christie Cobb, of Little Rock, will lead concerned community members in a peaceful protest
When: Tuesday, May 7, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Where: 104 South University Ave., Little Rock, Ark., by St. Vincent’s Hospital

A new University of Oxford study has concluded that even one slice of bacon a day can increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 20 percent. Bacon increases the risk of colorectal cancer and has been classified as “carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization. After reviewing more than 800 studies, WHO concluded that each 50-gram portion of processed meat (a few slices of bacon or a hot dog) eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent. The new Oxford study found that the risk is even higher than the WHO previously concluded. The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research have also found that “the evidence on processed meat and cancer is clear-cut.” Both the American Medical Association and the American College of Cardiology have recommended that hospitals remove processed meat from menus.

Colorectal cancer isn’t the only cancer risk that comes from consuming processed meat. Eating 50 grams of processed meat daily also increases the risk of prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and overall cancer mortality. And a study of more than 200,000 women found that eating about 20 grams of processed meat each day—less than half the size of a regular hot dog—increased breast cancer risk by 21 percent.