It may seem like a monumental truism, but sometimes we need to be told things as they are, and the truth about one of the most popular and consumed foods inside a baseball stadium is not what we would like to hear, at least not from a medical and food health point of view.
A survey conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in the United States found that 88% of adults in the country say they have eaten a hot dog at some point in their lives and of these, 70% said they were aware of the health risks involved in eating the food, although less than 20% are aware of the specific risks such as cardiovascular problems, cancer and obesity.
The reality is that hot dogs are so popular in baseball stadiums in Major League Baseball that people prefer them over other options, even very healthy ones such as peanuts, another of the must-haves in these venues, and perhaps this association is the main enemy to be overcome, from the point of view of doctors such as Noah Praamsma, coordinator of nutrition education for the organization that conducted the survey, who states that “tens of millions of Americans could eat hot dogs this baseball season, but most are unaware that doing so increases the risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases“.
Ultra-processed foods are the great enemy
Cases of colorectal cancer have increased exponentially among young people since the 1990s, and it is now the leading cause of cancer death in Americans under 50, according to the National Cancer Institute. This is due to the disproportionate consumption of ultra-processed foods such as sausages, bacon, pepperoni and ham, meats that have been salted, cured or smoked, and which have already been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization.
The WHO has sufficient evidence that overconsumption of other ultra-processed foods such as chicken nuggets, French fries and hamburgers causes colorectal cancer.
The consumption of hot dogs is impressive
Public information from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council indicates that it is estimated that the consumption of these foods on and off baseball fields amounts to 7 billion hot dogs in the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the so-called ‘hot dog season’.
Although there is still a glimmer of hope, 40% of adults surveyed said they would try a plant-based hot dog inside a baseball stadium, and 63% believe that these venues should offer such options for this popular food.
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