5. Red Meat
If you eat too much red meat, it could be making your gut feel bad.
Taub-Dix says that studies have shown that eating a lot of red meat can cause inflammation, especially in the colon, which can lead to colon cancer.
And the numbers are scary: Dr. Ivanina says that eating too much red and processed meat is thought to cause 18% of bowel cancer cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that processed meat is a class 1 carcinogen, which means that it is known to cause cancer in people.
Dr. Ivanina explains how red meat can cause cancer: “Red meat has heme iron, which breaks down in the gut to make N-nitroso compounds. These compounds can damage the gut lining and lead to cancer.”