Podcast: 'Mustard Mathmagic.' Hot Dogs Still Don't Cause Cancer

By Cameron English and ChuckDinerstein — May 05, 2025

The perennial vegan worrywarts at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) have once again warned that grilled hot dogs increase colorectal cancer risk. But this potential harm is wildly overstated — as it has been since it first emerged from the dark recesses of nutritional epidemiology many years ago. Your absolute risk of colorectal cancer remains quite low, and the occasional ballpark hot dog probably doesn't move the needle in either direction. Let's take a closer look.

Image generated via Grok

Join Cameron English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein on Episode 114 of the Science Dispatch podcast as they discuss:

Death in a Bun: Media’s Carcinogenic Cautionary Tale about Hot Dogs

Nothing says spring as much as cherry blossoms or opening day in Major League Baseball. For many fans, attending a game in person to see that ceremonial first pitch is often followed by the ceremonial consumption of a hot dog. Not bothered by baseball’s momentary reprieve from our day-to-day vicissitudes, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCMR) offers some warnings, stats, and carcinogenic handwringing.

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Cameron English

Director of Bioscience

Cameron English is a writer, editor and co-host of the Science Facts and Fallacies Podcast. Before joining ACSH, he was managing editor at the Genetic Literacy Project.