Eating bacon and sausages could increase the risk of breast cancer.

New research has shown that women who eat a lot of processed meats are more likely to develop breast cancer than those who eat less. The findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, showed that those who ate high levels of meats like bacon and sausages had their breast cancer risk raised by nine percent. Processed meats are already listed as a carcinogenic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Processed meats refer to those that are treated to preserve or to maintain flavour through salting, smoking, fermenting, or curing. They include hot dogs, some deli meats, ham, bacon, and sausage. WHO also class red meat as "probably carcinogenic" to humans. Despite the new study's findings, researchers have said that the risk of individual women developing breast cancer due to processed meats is "very small." This comes after a separate study showed that eating over 9g of certain processed meats - or two sausages and three pieces of bacon - per week can cause middle-aged women to increase their risk of developing breast cancer by up to one fifth. The research published earlier this year also showed that women who eat smaller amounts were still shown to be 15 percent more at risk. One in nine women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. It is most common in women between 45 and 64 years old. 15 percent of cases occur in women under the age of 44.