According to a study from the National Institutes of Health and the AARP, compounds which are used in meat processing may increase the risk of bladder cancer.

The study ran for eight years beginning in 1995 and analyzed 300,000 men and women, aged 50 to 71. The subjects reported on their diet and health habits. After eight years, 854 were diagnosed with bladder cancer.

The study determined that the people who had the highest intakes of dietary nitrite from all food sources, as well as those with the highest amounts of nitrate from processed meats were 28-29 percent more likely to develop bladder cancer than the subjects with the lowest nitrate intake.

Other studies have already linked cancer risk with the consumption of processed meats. This study will help scientists further understand the correlation.