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Too much red meat potentially increases cancer risk

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L

Love To Love You Baby

Member
Death link to too much red meat

Scientists have produced new evidence suggesting eating lots of red and processed meat damages health.

They found big meat eaters had a raised risk of death from all causes over a 10-year period.

In contrast, a higher intake of white meat was associated with a slightly reduced risk of death over the same period.

The US study, featured in Archives of Internal Medicine, was based on more than 500,000 people.

The researchers, from The US National Cancer Institute, found those whose diet contained the highest proportion of red or processed meat had a higher overall risk of death, and specifically a higher risk of cancer and heart disease than those who ate the least.

People eating the most meat were eating about 160g of red or processed meat per day - approximately a 6oz steak.

Those who ate the least were only getting about 25g per day - approximately a small rasher of bacon.

Conversely, those who ate the highest proportion of white meat had a lower risk of overall death, and a lower risk of fatal cancer or heart disease than those who ate the lowest proportion.

The researchers calculated that 11% of deaths in men and 16% of deaths in women during the study period could have been prevented if people had decreased their red meat consumption to the level of those in the lowest intake group.

Cancer compounds

The researchers said cancer-causing compounds were formed during high-temperature cooking of meat.

Meat is a major source of saturated fat, which has been associated with breast and colorectal cancer.

In addition, lower meat intake has been linked to a reduction in risk factors for heart disease, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The latest study adds to a growing body of research linking high red and processed meat consumption to an increased risk of ill health.

Recent UK research found one in ten people has tried to cut down on processed meats, such as bacon, in the wake of previous reports linking them to cancer.

Writing in the same journal, Dr Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, stressed there were health benefits to eating some red meat.

But he added: "The need is for a major reduction in total meat intake, an even larger reduction in processed meat and other highly processed and salted animal source food products and a reduction in total saturated fat."

Dr Mark Wahlqvist, a nutrition expert from Australia's Monash University, said eating small amounts of red meat - around 30g a day - provided a good source of key nutrients.

He said: "Fresh, lean red meat of these amounts is likely to be of more benefit than harm."

Ed Yong, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said two large studies had now linked eating lots of red or processed meat to some cancers.

"No one's saying that people should avoid bacon or burgers completely, but evidence from large studies like this tells us that cutting down on these foods can reduce the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases."
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7959128.stm
 
K

Kinitari

Black Canada Mafia
Is it just me, or does too much - or too little - of anything and everything increase my chance of getting cancer?
 
B

BladeWorker

Member
Kinitari said:
Is it just me, or does too much - or too little - of anything and everything increase my chance of getting cancer?
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Yup. To paraphrase yet another glib quote, "there are two types of foods in this world: those that cause cancer, and tomatoes."
 
L

Love To Love You Baby

Member
methane47 said:
everything increases cancer risk /thread
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Actually, to be more accurate, the article states that eating too much red and processed meat increases risk of death by heart disease as well. But I don't know if that is necessarily surprising.

DanteFox said:
Great, more anti-meat propaganda. I WILL NOT SUPRESS MY CARNIVOROUS URGES!!!
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No, poultry and fish are fine according to the study.
 
L

Love To Love You Baby

Member
mr stroke said:
I stay away from red meat, chicken/turkey/fish do well enough and are lower in fat. Turkey Burgers= :D
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I haven't had red meat in roughly two years and found it easy to give up - especially since the turkey versions of anything made with ground beef are delicious.

Although I don't think one has to give up red meat entirely, by any means. That was just my personal choice.
 
DanteFox

DanteFox

Member
Love To Love You Baby said:
Actually, to be more accurate, the article states that eating too much red and processed meat increases risk of death by heart disease as well. But I don't know if that is necessarily surprising.



No, poultry and fish are fine according to the study.
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If I have to give up burgers and ribs to stay alive longer, THEN I DON'T WANNA LIVE!!! :D
 
V

viciouskillersquirrel

Member
Evil vegetarian propaganda.

In other news, I figured out how to cook steaks well. First, you prepare the meat - have it be at room temperature when you start cooking is a must. A marinade of garlic, pepper, salt and olive oil works wonders. Then, you get your pan really hot. After that, bung on the steaks and don't touch them for two to five minutes (depending on how rare you like it - I go for three minutes, which results in medium). When that time is up, flip it over and let it sit for the same amount of time. When done, allow the steak to sit at room temperature for a few minutes to allow the juices to do their work.

The trouble I had before was too much handling of the meat. I'm a little OCD when it comes to cooking and would usually flip the steaks over a few times to check how each side was going and make sure that I wasn't overcooking either side. BIG MISTAKE. That kind of handling allows the juices to leak and/or evaporate and results in a tough, dry steak.

Anyway, that porterhouse I had on the weekend was worth getting cancer for.

EDIT: Ideally, you'd go to the butcher shop to get your steaks the day you want to eat steak. Quality ingredients = quality meal. Defrosted steaks can still taste good, but they lose a certain je ne sais quoi in the process.
 
M

marvelharvey

Member
I hate to rain on their parade, but haven't we known the links between red-meat and cancer for a long time now? I lowered my intake a number of years ago after reading a similar article.
 
G

Gallbaro

Banned
I wear a fedora and sunscreen ever day. Am I doing it right? Do I still need to become a vegetarian and suffer from low protein?
 
A

Ace 8095

Member
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/169/6/562

Study said:
Questionnaires on demographic and lifestyle characteristics, including dietary habits, were mailed to 3.5 million members of AARP in 1995, as described in detail elsewhere.

A 124-item food frequency questionnaire (http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/DHQ/forms/files/shared/dhq1.2002.sample.pdf) was completed at baseline. The food frequency questionnaire collected information on the usual consumption of foods and drinks and portion sizes over the last 12 months.
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So they used a self selected survey that asked people to estimate how much food they ate over a 12 month period. Sounds like good science to me.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
I wonder if eating white meat has a high correlation with other types of healthy eating (like plenty of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables). Because I don't see how swapping a Big Mac for a McFish is really going to help in the long term.
 
DanteFox

DanteFox

Member
methane47 said:
WRONG. Breathing oxygen and strenuous exercise can cause the body to release free radicals.. free radicals = cancer in the long term.
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BAHAHAHAHAAAAAA NOBODY'S SAFE! Let's all just eat veggies and stay in our plastic bubbles.
 
T

TheOMan

Tagged as I see fit
Fuzzery said:
Just don't BBQ shit
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9bheg1.gif
 
L

LCGeek

formerly sane
Too much red meat period is bad for you, but don't be dumb like vegans and cut it out of your diet completely. Moderation is the key besides the nutty who can resist a good burger or steak?
 
C

Crayon Shinchan

Aquafina Fanboy
idahoblue said:
All things in moderation. A little bit of beer, a bit of weed, a bit of steak and some nice wine. Done. :D
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Except for the red face crowd. They probably shouldn't even engage in a bit of beer or wine. :/
 
D

Dead Man

Member
Crayon Shinchan said:
Except for the red face crowd. They probably shouldn't even engage in a bit of beer or wine. :/
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Forgot about them. Well, I guess they're fucked. Death at 25 from cancer, guaranteed.
 
K

K0NY

Member
What I've read suggests that red meat isn't in itself dangerous. Overcooking it releases toxins which are linked to cancer. Marinating it in red wine keeps red meat moist and tasty, but also kills many of the enzymes which lead to cancer risk.

Short story: Barbecuing is a deadly game best left to the experts. If you want to cook your meat like a man, read up on the subject first.
 
F

Fuzzery

Member
NomarTyme said:
Blasphemy!
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Yeah I could never give up BBQ, but shit that shit is bad for you. Like a lone chicken leg BBQed under a closed lid in a foreman grill is equal to about 40 cigarettes in terms of cancer risk.
 
T

TheOMan

Tagged as I see fit
Fuzzery said:
Yeah I could never give up BBQ, but shit that shit is bad for you. Like a lone chicken leg BBQed under a closed lid in a foreman grill is equal to about 40 cigarettes in terms of cancer risk.
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Link?
 
T

Tyrone Slothrop

Banned
truth is red meat is pretty much bad news all around. if you have about a steak a week that's fine but if you have to eat meat on a regular basis eat a chicken breast or a pork chop or something
 
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