Investigative journalist and author Lucie Morris-Marr was in the best shape of her life when she received a shocking stage-four bowel cancer diagnosis.
“I felt fit, happy—my book had just launched. Then everything stopped,” she told Nine to Noon. “It felt like my identity got cancelled.”
While undergoing treatment, Lucie began researching bowel cancer and was alarmed to learn that the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies processed meats—like bacon, ham, and sausages—as Group 1 carcinogens, the same category as tobacco and alcohol.
“I didn’t think I ate much processed meat,” she admitted. “But then I remembered the prosciutto on charcuterie boards, bacon at Christmas, pepperoni pizza… it was part of my diet.”
WHO warns that eating just 50g of processed meat per day—about two slices of bacon—raises your bowel cancer risk by 18%. These meats contain nitrates and nitrites, which can turn harmful during cooking or digestion. They’re also high in salt and fat, raising the risk for heart disease and high blood pressure.
Lucie doesn’t claim processed meat caused her cancer, but says it’s “definitely in the frame.” She feels there should have been more warnings.
“I’m not trying to scare people,” she says, “but someone needs to talk about it.”
Her message is clear: even a favorite sandwich can have long-term consequences.
