Does Meat Cause Cancer?
Cancer is a scary word. With it, many consumers are scared away from products because of claims that they will increase your risk. Plant-based advocates have taken advantage of consumer’s fear for this disease, which takes well over 500,000 lives every year in the US alone. Many people have bought into the lie that meat causes cancer, and have embraced veganism wholeheartedly in fear of the disease. However, like most of what vegan proponents say, this the link between animal products and cancer risks is poorly supported by science. This Nutrition Series would not be complete without a mention of some of the studies brought to the forefront of the conversation.
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Photo from http://www.thealternativedaily.com/processed-meat-multiorgan-carcinogen/
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Processed Meat
The World Health Organization claims that processed meat is a carcinogen (cancer causing substance), which is probably true. Processed meats include certain deli meats, sausage, and bacon. Although I have not seen any studies directly exploring this, I have no doubt that processed foods have severe health risks. That is… all processed foods. The fact that these products are comprised of meat has nothing to do with their association to cancer, it’s the handling methods. Examples of non-animal based processed foods include cereals, canned vegetables, bread, pre-made meals, and many soft drinks. This means that, even if a person completely excluded animal products from their diet, they would still be exposed to the same cancer-causing chemicals that are found in processed meat.
The reality is that people usually understand that these foods are not healthy, and eat them for enjoyment rather than for health benefits. This is not to say that eating processed food automatically dooms you to getting cancer. Just like anything, enjoyment in moderation is key. Lifestyle habits, such as having a regular sleep schedule, exercise, and reducing screen time, have just as much to do with overall health, including cancer risk, as diet does. Health experts rarely recommend excluding foods you look forward to eating from your plate. The best way to have a healthy diet is to be aware of what you’re putting into your body, and to have the discipline to limit the items you know may have consequences.
The World Health Organization claims that processed meat is a carcinogen (cancer causing substance), which is probably true. Processed meats include certain deli meats, sausage, and bacon. Although I have not seen any studies directly exploring this, I have no doubt that processed foods have severe health risks. That is… all processed foods. The fact that these products are comprised of meat has nothing to do with their association to cancer, it’s the handling methods. Examples of non-animal based processed foods include cereals, canned vegetables, bread, pre-made meals, and many soft drinks. This means that, even if a person completely excluded animal products from their diet, they would still be exposed to the same cancer-causing chemicals that are found in processed meat.
The reality is that people usually understand that these foods are not healthy, and eat them for enjoyment rather than for health benefits. This is not to say that eating processed food automatically dooms you to getting cancer. Just like anything, enjoyment in moderation is key. Lifestyle habits, such as having a regular sleep schedule, exercise, and reducing screen time, have just as much to do with overall health, including cancer risk, as diet does. Health experts rarely recommend excluding foods you look forward to eating from your plate. The best way to have a healthy diet is to be aware of what you’re putting into your body, and to have the discipline to limit the items you know may have consequences.
Red Meat
The World Health Organization also classifies red meat, which is mainly beef in first world countries, as a “probably carcinogen,” and this is weakly supported by some studies from the early 2000’s: Chan, Doris S. M., Rosa Lau, Dagfinn Aune, Rui Vieira, Darren C. Greenwood, Ellen Kampman, and Teresa Norat. "Red and Processed Meat and Colorectal Cancer Incidence: Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies." PLOS ONE. Public Library of Science, 6 June 2011. Web. 03 May 2017. Sesink, Aloys L.A., Denise S.M.L. Termont, Jan H. Kleibeuker, and Roelof Van Der Meer.Red Meat and Colon Cancer: The Cytotoxic and Hyperproliferative Effects of Dietary Heme. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1999. Web. 3 May 2017. |
Photo from https://www.citelighter.com/animals/animals/knowledgecards/beef-cattle
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Each of these reviews used limited sample sizes (one only used mice), and every single one states in their conclusions that, although they found evidence for a possible link between red meat and either colon or colorectal cancer, the researchers have no explanation for it. Additionally, each of these have been replaced by much more in-depth and up-to-date studies that confirm that the reason early researchers could not explain the cancer link was because that association was caused by the chemical reactions that occurred during processing, while unprocessed red meat’s risk is undetectable. Another interesting discovery, which might not come as a surprise to many beef breeders, was that improving handling practices, both while raising the cattle and post mortem, improved beef’s nutritional quality and resulted in no negative health effects to consumers. Here are some of the new and improved studies:
Bernstein, Adam M., Mingyang Song, Xuehong Zhang, An Pan, Molin Wang, Charles S. Fuchs, Ngoan Le, Andrew T. Chan, Walter
C. Willett, Shuji Ogino, Edward L. Giovannucci, and Kana Wu. "Processed and Unprocessed Red Meat and Risk of
Colorectal Cancer: Analysis by Tumor Location and Modification by Time." PLOS ONE. Public Library of Science, 25 Aug.
2015. Web. 03 May 2017.
Hindawi. "A Contribution of Beef to Human Health: A Review of the Role of the Animal Production Systems." The Scientific
World Journal. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.
Rohrmann, Sabine, Kim Overvad, H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, Marianne U. Jakobsen, Rikke Egeberg, Anne Tjønneland, Laura
Nailler, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, Françoise Clavel-Chapelon, Vittorio Krogh, Domenico Palli, Salvatore Panico,
Rosario Tumino, Fulvio Ricceri, Manuela M. Bergmann, Heiner Boeing, Kuanrong Li, Rudolf Kaaks, Kay-Tee Khaw,
Nicholas J. Wareham, Francesca L. Crowe, Timothy J. Key, Androniki Naska, Antonia Trichopoulou, Dimitirios
Trichopoulos, Max Leenders, Petra HM Peeters, Dagrun Engeset, Christine L. Parr, Guri Skeie, Paula Jakszyn, María-José
Sánchez, José M. Huerta, M. Luisa Redondo, Aurelio Barricarte, Pilar Amiano, Isabel Drake, Emily Sonestedt, Göran
Hallmans, Ingegerd Johansson, Veronika Fedirko, Isabelle Romieux, Pietro Ferrari, Teresa Norat, Anne C. Vergnaud, Elio
Riboli, and Jakob Linseisen. "Meat Consumption and Mortality." BMC Medicine. BioMed Central, 07 Mar. 2013. Web. 03
May 2017.
Santarelli, Raphaëlle L., Fabrice Pierre, and Denis E. Corpet. "Processed Meat and Colorectal Cancer: A Review of Epidemiologic
and Experimental Evidence." Nutrition and Cancer. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2008. Web. 03 May 2017.
I do feel compelled to admit that red meat is not the healthiest option of the animal products. Chicken, eggs, pork, and low fat dairy are just as nutritious, but don’t have as much saturated fat, and have never been caught in a scandal with cancer, whether it was true or not. Just like processed foods, moderation of steak and hamburgers might be our best choice for now.
Bernstein, Adam M., Mingyang Song, Xuehong Zhang, An Pan, Molin Wang, Charles S. Fuchs, Ngoan Le, Andrew T. Chan, Walter
C. Willett, Shuji Ogino, Edward L. Giovannucci, and Kana Wu. "Processed and Unprocessed Red Meat and Risk of
Colorectal Cancer: Analysis by Tumor Location and Modification by Time." PLOS ONE. Public Library of Science, 25 Aug.
2015. Web. 03 May 2017.
Hindawi. "A Contribution of Beef to Human Health: A Review of the Role of the Animal Production Systems." The Scientific
World Journal. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 May 2017.
Rohrmann, Sabine, Kim Overvad, H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, Marianne U. Jakobsen, Rikke Egeberg, Anne Tjønneland, Laura
Nailler, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, Françoise Clavel-Chapelon, Vittorio Krogh, Domenico Palli, Salvatore Panico,
Rosario Tumino, Fulvio Ricceri, Manuela M. Bergmann, Heiner Boeing, Kuanrong Li, Rudolf Kaaks, Kay-Tee Khaw,
Nicholas J. Wareham, Francesca L. Crowe, Timothy J. Key, Androniki Naska, Antonia Trichopoulou, Dimitirios
Trichopoulos, Max Leenders, Petra HM Peeters, Dagrun Engeset, Christine L. Parr, Guri Skeie, Paula Jakszyn, María-José
Sánchez, José M. Huerta, M. Luisa Redondo, Aurelio Barricarte, Pilar Amiano, Isabel Drake, Emily Sonestedt, Göran
Hallmans, Ingegerd Johansson, Veronika Fedirko, Isabelle Romieux, Pietro Ferrari, Teresa Norat, Anne C. Vergnaud, Elio
Riboli, and Jakob Linseisen. "Meat Consumption and Mortality." BMC Medicine. BioMed Central, 07 Mar. 2013. Web. 03
May 2017.
Santarelli, Raphaëlle L., Fabrice Pierre, and Denis E. Corpet. "Processed Meat and Colorectal Cancer: A Review of Epidemiologic
and Experimental Evidence." Nutrition and Cancer. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2008. Web. 03 May 2017.
I do feel compelled to admit that red meat is not the healthiest option of the animal products. Chicken, eggs, pork, and low fat dairy are just as nutritious, but don’t have as much saturated fat, and have never been caught in a scandal with cancer, whether it was true or not. Just like processed foods, moderation of steak and hamburgers might be our best choice for now.
The World Health Organization
So, if the science that the World Health Organization (also called the WHO) has been disproved, then why haven’t they retracted their claims? The answer to that question comes wrapped in a great deal of irony. The truth is that the WHO is an international organization that runs off of funding from governments, including government public interest groups, such as our good friends People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PETA reporters have worked hand-in-hand with WHO publishers on multiple occasions dealing with the issue of meat’s link to cancer (or, in there case, the issue being the lack of a link), and you can check that out here, here, and here. The WHO understandably keeps corporation support anonymous, but they legally have to publish acknowledgement of the scope of their funding, which you can see here. |
And why is this so ironic? In the face of so much evidence mounted against them, vegan activists have adopted the attitude that any study that disagrees with them must be biased. The only way researchers could conclude that, they say, is if they received funding from the meat and dairy industry. Obviously, there are many problems with that argument, and I intend to discuss it further in a future blog post. However, for now, let’s just bask in the humor that the only reliable source that is agreeing with veganism is biased in the same way that they’re accusing every study every conducted of being.
Conclusion
Even though only red and processed meats have been discussed by scientists in cancer research, plant-based proponents have adopted the broad slogan of “Meat causes cancer.” Like most of their claims, this is simply not true as there is no evidence to support it. Ironically, many studies have actually identified a much more solid cancer risk caused by the nutritional deficiencies that arise from excluding two out of the five USDA food groups from your diet. For more information and sources on that, check out my Introduction to this Nutrition Series.
Additional Reference:
Helping Families Face the Challenges of Cancer." Cancer Facts. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 03 May 2017.
Conclusion
Even though only red and processed meats have been discussed by scientists in cancer research, plant-based proponents have adopted the broad slogan of “Meat causes cancer.” Like most of their claims, this is simply not true as there is no evidence to support it. Ironically, many studies have actually identified a much more solid cancer risk caused by the nutritional deficiencies that arise from excluding two out of the five USDA food groups from your diet. For more information and sources on that, check out my Introduction to this Nutrition Series.
Additional Reference:
Helping Families Face the Challenges of Cancer." Cancer Facts. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 03 May 2017.
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