I don&#x27;t think it&#x27;s equivalent to 3-5 cigarettes. An 18% increase isn&#x27;t the same when the incidence rate on colorectal cancer starts off so low compared to lung cancer. This article is one that got posted on HN a while back.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;medium.com&#x2F;life-tips&#x2F;processed-meats-as-bad-as-cigarettes-bad-reporting-on-good-science-ac43a97be603#.m894jm5se" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;medium.com&#x2F;life-tips&#x2F;processed-meats-as-bad-as-cigar...</a>