Red and processed meats can cause cancer

[Zablorg]

People who eat a lot of red meat and processed meats have a higher risk of several types of cancer, including lung cancer and colorectal cancer, US researchers have reported.

The work is the first big study to show a link between meat consumption and lung cancer. It also shows that people who eat a lot of meat have a higher risk of liver and esophageal cancer and that men raise their risk of pancreatic cancer by eating red meat.

"A decrease in the consumption of red and processed meat could reduce the incidence of cancer at multiple sites," Dr Amanda Cross and colleagues at the US National Cancer Institute wrote in their report, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.

The researchers studied 500,000 people aged 50 to 71 who took part in a diet and health study completed in conjunction with the AARP, formerly the American Association for Retired Persons.

After eight years, 53,396 cases of cancer were diagnosed.

"Statistically significant elevated risks (ranging from 20 per cent to 60 per cent) were evident for esophageal, colorectal, liver, and lung cancer, comparing individuals in the highest with those in the lowest quintile of red meat intake," the researchers wrote.

The people in the top 20 per cent of eating processed meat had a 20 per cent higher risk of colorectal cancer, mostly rectal cancer, and a 16 per cent higher risk for lung cancer.

"Furthermore, red meat intake was associated with an elevated risk for cancers of the esophagus and liver," the researchers wrote.

These differences held even when smoking was accounted for.

"Red meat intake was not associated with gastric or bladder cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, or melanoma," the researchers added.

Red meat was defined as all types of beef, pork and lamb. Processed meat included bacon, red meat sausage, poultry sausage, luncheon meats, cold cuts, ham and most types of hot dogs including turkey dogs.

Meats can cause cancer by several routes, the researchers noted.

"For example, they are both sources of saturated fat and iron, which have independently been associated with carcinogenesis," the researchers wrote.

Meat is also a source of several chemicals known to cause DNA mutations, including N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Jeanine Genkinger of Georgetown University in Washington DC and Anita Koushik of the University of Montreal said the findings fit in with other research.

"Meat consumption in relation to cancer risk has been reported in over 100 epidemiological studies from many countries with diverse diets," they wrote in a commentary.

[Darth Wong]

Two points:

1) You failed to include a link to the source, or even any sort of reference information.

2) It's pretty sad how they totally ignore the massive EPIC study in Europe which came to this conclusion a while ago. I guess "first big study" means "first big study in America".

[Zablorg]

Two points:

1) You failed to include a link to the source, or even any sort of reference information.

Ah, sorry. Here it is.

[Aaron]

This was already out there. I don't remember them listing lunch meats but too much of it would give you gout, so it stands to reason that it'd have other unpleasent effects.

[Spyder]

They're doing a study of 50 to 71 year olds, seeing the average age of those diagnosed would be interesting.

[loomer]

I've said it before, I'll say it again. What doesn't give you cancer these days?

[Covenant]

This makes me a sad panda. I really hate chicken. -__-

[Patrick Degan]

This has been suspected for some time now. One of the reasons I've been cutting back on my consumption of beef in recent years. I don't eat red meats anywhere near as much as I used to.

[Darth Wong]

I've said it before, I'll say it again. What doesn't give you cancer these days?

Plenty of things: just not plenty of things that are in the staple American diet.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Like I said in another thread, you can potentially get cancer from all aspects of modern life if you try hard enough. The idea is to minimise such risks and pray to your sky pixie of choice that your genetics don't suck shit, otherwise no amount of lifestyle correction will change your fate.

Red meat in moderation is nice. Don't take that example as an excuse to eat cheeseburgers daily or take up smoking fags because, hey, we're all gonna die sooner or later, right?

[Darth Wong]

Like I said in another thread, you can potentially get cancer from all aspects of modern life if you try hard enough. The idea is to minimise such risks and pray to your sky pixie of choice that your genetics don't suck shit, otherwise no amount of lifestyle correction will change your fate.

Red meat in moderation is nice. Don't take that example as an excuse to eat cheeseburgers daily or take up smoking fags because, hey, we're all gonna die sooner or later, right?

The problem is that most Americans think that "red meat in moderation" is a generous portion of the stuff every single day.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Well Americans are stoopid and will likely become the fattest nation on Earth.

Oh, never mind.

Don't talk about diet to a people that invented corndogs wrapped in choc-chip pancakes.

[Covenant]

I'd like to know what their definition of an acceptable level of red meat consumption is. I eat according to the revised Food Pyramid, so I thought I was doing the healthy option, but this is certainly worrisome anyway. If it turns out that the 'average' amount is really ridiculously high then I'd be much relieved.

[Broomstick]

Red meat in moderation is nice. Don't take that example as an excuse to eat cheeseburgers daily or take up smoking fags because, hey, we're all gonna die sooner or later, right?

The problem is that most Americans think that "red meat in moderation" is a generous portion of the stuff every single day.

No, they think it's a generous portion every single meal.

And this can't be the first study - I've been hearing "red meat gives you cancer" for at least 20 years.

And this bit:

"For example, they are both sources of saturated fat and iron, which have independently been associated with carcinogenesis," the researchers wrote.

Uh... OK, too much iron is bad... but not enough iron is ALSO bad, you know, anemia and stuff like that. This is either taken wildly out of context or these guys are very sloppy.

Don't talk about diet to a people that invented corndogs wrapped in choc-chip pancakes.

Don't forget deep-fried Twinkies and candy bars.

[Aaron]

How cheap is red meat that you can afford to eat it more than twice a week in America? The cheapest steak that I can get here is at minimum 5$ for two that total up to .294kg, according to the package. But these are so crappy that they are as tough as a boot unless you marinate them for 24 hrs. Even then there only passable. That gives me one meal. But I can buy ten chicken breasts for 11$ or fourteen chicken kabobs for 13$ which works out to 1.10$ per breast and .92$ per kabob repectivally. So lets see, two crappy steaks for 2.50$ a piece or chicken?

I can't afford to eat steak more than once a week and I'm not poor. What's the average amount of red meat that an American eats? The Canadian Food Guide recommends a maximum of three 2 1/2 oz servings of meat or alternates per day for my age. So if I had all that in red meat it's 7.5 oz which is just shy of the smallest steak you get in a restuarant. A little more than that and you start gaining weight.

We rarely have red meat, in the last two weeks we had it once. But we're trying to lose weight and red meat wracks havoc on it for my wife. Not only that but my kids won't eat it unless it's ground beef, which when your on a diet is kind of hard to do anything with.

[Androsphinx]

Ok, but what constitutes an excessive amount of red meat? What is the weekly consumption of the upper quintile? Why does the story give a precise number of cancer patients (to 5 significant figures), but no idea of a much more relevant figure?

[Johonebesus]

How cheap is red meat that you can afford to eat it more than twice a week in America? The cheapest steak that I can get here is at minimum 5$ for two that total up to .294kg, according to the package. But these are so crappy that they are as tough as a boot unless you marinate them for 24 hrs. Even then there only passable. That gives me one meal. But I can buy ten chicken breasts for 11$ or fourteen chicken kabobs for 13$ which works out to 1.10$ per breast and .92$ per kabob repectivally. So lets see, two crappy steaks for 2.50$ a piece or chicken?

I can't afford to eat steak more than once a week and I'm not poor. What's the average amount of red meat that an American eats? The Canadian Food Guide recommends a maximum of three 2 1/2 oz servings of meat or alternates per day for my age. So if I had all that in red meat it's 7.5 oz which is just shy of the smallest steak you get in a restuarant. A little more than that and you start gaining weight.

We rarely have red meat, in the last two weeks we had it once. But we're trying to lose weight and red meat wracks havoc on it for my wife. Not only that but my kids won't eat it unless it's ground beef, which when your on a diet is kind of hard to do anything with.

You are aware that red meat includes everything from a cow, not just steak, right? Most Americans will eat a hamburger or tacos or some such about every day. Cheap ground beef or stew meat is less expensive than chicken breasts, and frozen dinners are all about the same price. It varies based on brand and size, not content.

[Xisiqomelir]

How cheap is red meat that you can afford to eat it more than twice a week in America? The cheapest steak that I can get here is at minimum 5$ for two that total up to .294kg, according to the package. But these are so crappy that they are as tough as a boot unless you marinate them for 24 hrs. Even then there only passable. That gives me one meal. But I can buy ten chicken breasts for 11$ or fourteen chicken kabobs for 13$ which works out to 1.10$ per breast and .92$ per kabob repectivally. So lets see, two crappy steaks for 2.50$ a piece or chicken?

At Costco, two top rounds are $13-16 depending on package weight. That makes me 4-5 dishes of rendang, belacan beef curry or green curry, and each usually lasts me 3 days worth of lunches and dinners unless I share with the neighbours.

[Aaron]

You are aware that red meat includes everything from a cow, not just steak, right? Most Americans will eat a hamburger or tacos or some such about every day. Cheap ground beef or stew meat is less expensive than chicken breasts, and frozen dinners are all about the same price. It varies based on brand and size, not content.

Yes I understand that. I used steak as an example because I happened to have a package defrosting in the fridge. I also mentioned ground beef.

[Flagg]

I gotta be honest... I don't drink alchohol (not by choice), I don't smoke, I generally avoid fatty foods...

Now I have to give up my second favorite meat source? Why damnit? I mean beef will never replace the pig (tastiest of all the animal kingdom), but damnit I like it all the same! I just don't know that I can do that.


Fuck another moon shot, we need to divert all of our resources to making a cancer-free beef source!

[Aaron]

I gotta be honest... I don't drink alchohol (not by choice), I don't smoke, I generally avoid fatty foods...

Now I have to give up my second favorite meat source? Why damnit? I mean beef will never replace the pig (tastiest of all the animal kingdom), but damnit I like it all the same! I just don't know that I can do that.


Fuck another moon shot, we need to divert all of our resources to making a cancer-free beef source!

Just eat it in moderation. It doesn't look like they evaluated buffalo in this, but they list that the saturated fat in beef is a contributor to the problem. Buffalo has around half the fat of beef IIRC and tastes almost the same. Give that a try.

[Flagg]

I gotta be honest... I don't drink alchohol (not by choice), I don't smoke, I generally avoid fatty foods...

Now I have to give up my second favorite meat source? Why damnit? I mean beef will never replace the pig (tastiest of all the animal kingdom), but damnit I like it all the same! I just don't know that I can do that.


Fuck another moon shot, we need to divert all of our resources to making a cancer-free beef source!

Just eat it in moderation. It doesn't look like they evaluated buffalo in this, but they list that the saturated fat in beef is a contributor to the problem. Buffalo has around half the fat of beef IIRC and tastes almost the same. Give that a try.

Well, I eat lean steaks and only use hamburger for spagetti sauce and I drain most of the fat out before adding the sauce. I dunno how much of a difference that makes considering just how fatty ground beef is, though.

I had buffalo jerky once and wasn't impressed. It had a similar flavor to beef jerky, but a weird texture. I'm game for trying some steaks out, though.

[Broomstick]

Venison is also a low-fat red meat. Ostrich might be a little difficult to find, but I find ostrich burgers to be in the "tastes like red meat" family, and it's also a lean meat.

As for how much red meat costs - ground beef runs $1-$2.50 per half kilogram, depending on grade. Sausage likewise. Steaks were between $1.80 and $7 for the same weight. Stewbeef, etc. around $2 something for that weight.

[Aaron]

Well, I eat lean steaks and only use hamburger for spagetti sauce and I drain most of the fat out before adding the sauce. I dunno how much of a difference that makes considering just how fatty ground beef is, though.

We do the same, I had no idea just how fatty ground beef was until I saw it drained.

I had buffalo jerky once and wasn't impressed. It had a similar flavor to beef jerky, but a weird texture. I'm game for trying some steaks out, though.

Buffalo burgers are pretty good, if expensive. So if you like burgers that's worth a shot, they usually sell them in small packages so you won't be wasting many if you don't like them. I'd get them at a butchers shop or country store though, the ones available in the grocery stores I've had are garbage.

I haven't had a steak yet (because I have to go out in the boonies to get them) but I hear there very good.

[Gil Hamilton]

I also understand that sunlight gives you skin cancer, so you should avoid going outside.

Frankly, if you are pounding down that much red meat as for it to be a cancer risk, then chances are heart disease and high cholesterol and the slew of other medical problems that comes with such a diet is going to kill you first anyway.