Populations most at risk for negative health impacts associated with processed meat

There is one consensus among studies done on the association of cancer to consumption of processed meats--men are more liklely than women to eat more of it. Their risk is also greater because of their ability to store more fat in the abdomen, which allows more accumulation of toxins. Younger, wealthier men in general tend to eat more which may be due to culture, i.e. virulent masculinity, as well as the fact that younger generations may not appreciate it as much as older ones due to its increased availability over time.

What kid doesn't love a hotdog? With it being so easy to prepare and serve to young children, many parents unknowingly expose them to high levels of carcinogenic compounds. On average, children ages 4-6 have the highest exposure to volatile nitrosamines. The thing that makes it different for kids, is their lower bodyweights and the fact that they eat about the same amount as adults.

Genetically speaking, African American and Latino men have greater risks of cancer, but also have higher baseline intakes of processed meat, making their comsumption habits critical factors to their potential risks.

With the relatively low costs of processed meat, it is easy for lower socioeconomic classes to access, and therefore consume more than higher economic classes. In conjunction with the restricted access to fresh produce in many low ses communities, the potential health risks of processed meats is high.

With the fact that America is a highly developed country compared to others around the world, the access to meat in general has increased significantly in the past few centuries. Meat consumption has gone from 30kg/person in 1980 to 41kg/person in 2005. The average global consumption is 100g/day, with America having the highest consumption rates. Culture also plays into high processed meat consumption rates, i.e., the 4th of July being usually accompanied by grilling hot dogs and burgers.