One of the best things about baseball season is the food. There is no sign of spring quite like enjoying a cold drink and a hot dog with thousands of fellow fans inside a stadium. This tradition is bound to put a hole in your wallet, but do you know what it might cost you health-wise?
A new survey conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult reveals that although 88 percent of Americans have eaten a hot dog in their lifetime, much less are aware of the specific health concerns surrounding processed meats.
“Tens of millions of Americans could eat hot dogs this baseball season, but most of them are unaware that doing so raises their risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases,” said Noah Praamsma, a nutrition education coordinator, in a press release.
Health Risks of Eating Hot Dogs
Large quantities of hot dogs are consumed every year, with 20 million being eaten during baseball season alone. Hot dogs are also categorized as processed meats and carry with them the many health risks associated with that food type.
Processed meats are any meat that has been preserved or modified, usually using techniques like smoking, salting, curing, or adding preservatives. These techniques are often used to extend a meat’s shelf life or to add or change the flavor. Common processed meats include bacon, ham, deli meats, sausages, and, of course, hot dogs.
Along with links to obesity and heart disease, the main problem with processed meats is their link to cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), processed meats are now classified as carcinogenic.
Read More: Is a Hotdog a Sandwich? Science Finally Has The Answer
Processed Meats and Cancer
More specifically, there is an established link between eating processed meats and colorectal cancer. The more someone consumes processed meats, the more their risk for colorectal cancer increases.
This link is especially alarming due to the dramatic rise in colorectal cancer diagnoses and deaths in the U.S. In the 1990s, colorectal cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer death in America. Now, it is the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 40 and 49.
Concerningly, there has also been a drastic increase in colorectal cancer deaths among young Americans. It is also the leading cause of cancer death in men 20-39 and the third leading cause of cancer death in women of the same age bracket.
It’s important to note that indulging in the occasional ballpark dog won’t give you cancer. The problem occurs when processed meats become part of a daily diet. Consuming only 50 grams of processed meat a day, the equivalent of a single hot dog, will increase colorectal cancer risk by 18 percent.
Unaware of Health Risks
The survey, conducted in March of 2025 and involving 2,204 U.S. adults, revealed that 57 percent of respondents had eaten a hot dog at a baseball stadium, but almost all of them didn’t know or fully understand the associated health risks.
For 51 percent of respondents, the risks were something they’d heard of, but they didn’t know the specific details. Another 30 percent were completely unaware of the health risks.
The team behind the survey isn’t advocating for people to never eat a hot dog again. Instead, they hope to increase awareness of the risks of consuming processed meat so that Americans can make an informed decision about their next stadium snack.
In a promising result, 40 percent of those surveyed said they’d be open to trying a plant-based hot dog, and 63 percent agreed that baseball stadiums should offer plant-based options for those fans who are trying to make healthier choices.
What can you do if there are no plant-based dogs at your next baseball outing? Another stadium favorite may be the answer.
“If veggie dogs and other plant-based options aren’t available, opt for roasted peanuts – a staple at baseball stadiums,” Praamsma said in a press release. “Peanuts are packed with disease-fighting plant protein and can be protective against colorectal cancer.”
Read More: Colon Cancer Screening: How to Prevent Colon Cancer
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult. Baseball and Hot Dogs Survey
As the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.
