Red Meat Could Decrease Life Expectancy for those with Colon Cancer
A newly released study indicates people who admit to eating the most red and processed meat before a colon cancer diagnosis are more likely to die in the eight years following than cancer patients who ate less red meat. The study is part of a growing body that links red meat with cancers of the digestive system.
According to Reuters Health, the study can’t prove with certainty that eating red or processed meat causes colon cancer death, but we do know from previous studies that eating such meats is connected to an increased risk of having a colon cancer diagnosis.
The most recent research looked at 184,000 Americans who didn’t have cancer between 1992 and 1993 and data about what those people ate. The researchers identified 2,315 men and women within the group who were diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer between the time the study started and June 30, 2009. Of those, 966 died before December 31, 2010.
When looking at diet and mortality rates, the researchers found about 43 percent of some 580 individuals who ate 10 or more servings of such meat per week at the onset of the study died during the follow-up period. This was compared with only 37 percent of the 576 people who ate about two servings of red or processed meats per week.
Interestingly, the researchers found no connection between the amount of red and processed meats after the diagnosis and mortality.
“The primary message is a confirmation that increased intake of red or processed meat can have detrimental effects on the developments of colon cancer, the type of cancer and other health effects of patients in the long term, “said Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston of the research. He recommends three to four servings a week maximum for most people.
In addition to potentially impacting your risk of cancer and your risk of cancer death, red and processed meats could have untold negative health effects, particularly when eaten in excess. If you’re a carnivore and not ready to give that up, eliminate processed meats and seek out organic instead. Also, reduce your consumption and treat meat as a delicacy (smaller portions less often) rather than a staple. You may find that your health improves, as many vegans and vegetarians do.
I hope this doesn't mean that this site is going to start promoting vegan/vegetarian diets for all. We have too much of that already, and far too much of it is extremist propaganda.
All things in moderation is probably the best general policy for mosst things, including food choices. We need to eat what supports our personal biologies, whatever diet that works out too.
It may well be that some of us really are eating more red meat than is healthy for *our* particular physiology – but it also may well be true that the industrial practises which drive our meat production is faulty.
The way this article reads, the survey was conducted only among those who were actually diagnosed with colon cancer. Without more information on this, why should we assume anything about the values or risks of the diet of the general population? What controls were used in this study? Were genetic analyses conducted to see whether there was congenital vulnerability to colon cancer in any of these subjects?
Inquiring minds want to know. Those of us whose health is truly dependent on a modicum of animal protein in our diets are particularly interested in *sound* dietary research. I find the continuing trend to demonize real food to be a very disturbing one.
As a matter of curiosity, I would be interested to know what the effect on red meat is of being produced on high concentrations of GMO corn. It seems to me that such meat must carry a toxic burden of glyphosate.
I wonder whether this was tested for …?
zillqueen makes excellent points. It is time or the health promoting community to get real about bio-individuality.
Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez treats cancer patiences using a diet based on Metabolic Typing, which was developed by the dentist William Kelly, who cured himself of Pancreatic Cancer. No one diet fits all. Crusading Vegetarian /Vegans are doing a disservice to those who, in fact, need meat in their diet to remain healthy.
The article says red meat and processed meat. What does that mean. Are we talking red meat fed with grains and pumped with hormones. or is that called processed meat. Is unprocessed meat grass fed meat? Does processed meat include caged chickens pumped with antibiotics? Very fuzzy article, not worthy of Natural Society to publish without more clarification.