Is bacon "bad" for you?

"Everyone knows" that bacon is bad for you but I had remembered reading some things in the past that seemed to suggest bacon has been unfairly vilified.  Also like many people I enjoy bacon and in that sense there was some confirmation bias involved in my searches into this topic.  I was hoping whatever I found would make me feel better about consuming bacon.

What I found is that it seems to be sodium, saturated fats and nitrates in bacon that people are citing as detrimental.  It seems like everyone agrees that the nitrates and sodium are bad, however there is some debate on the saturated fats.  Saturated fats can increase the levels of cholesterol which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.  Other sources state that saturated fats from natural sources are not bad for your health and are much better than "polyunsaturated and hydrogenated substitutes".  With a diet that is low in sugar and processed carbs and high in vegetables, the natural saturated fats found in bacon can fit into that just fine.

As I mentioned before, the nitrates or nitrites that are often included in processed meats can be detrimental to your health.  I'm not going to claim to understand the science behind it, but apparently researchers have found carcinogenic compounds in many types of store bought bacon.  However "nitrite-free" bacon is not necessarily the answer.  Some of the methods used to produce this type of bacon can actually produce more nitrite content than just normal processing with nitrite salts.  A source suggests that traditionally cured bacon with herbs, sugars, salt and sodium nitrite is much better than the "uncured" bacon.

My favourite quote out of all this was "But aside from this potential, sodium nitrate is actually dangerous when it come in contact with other substances possibly causing a fire, inhaling it can cause problems with your respiratory system and exposure directly to your skin can cause severe irritation.  Now granted, most are not inhaling bacon, rubbing it on their body (although I have heard a few stories)..."

Overall the conclusion seems to be that as part of a healthy diet, bacon can be a good addition provided that it's "naturally cured".  Bacon should probably not be eaten all the time, especially some of the lower quality nitrate preserved brands.  Some studies have shown that eating more processed meats can increase the risks of some diseases, though the people that ate more meats also smoked more and in general had less healthy diets, so it's hard to say which way the arrow of causality points.