This week there was a bit of hysteria due to a statement by the IARC indicating that red and processed meats cause cancer, based on a review of nearly 800 studies published in Lancet Oncology.
The Cancer Research UK guys put these results in perspective and I don’t know what you’re waiting to read their post — the conclusion we can draw from all this is that people who eat lots of red and processed meats, may want moderate their consumption.
However, the IARC statement is being exploited by the veg propaganda machine, which is using the fear of cancer to get more converts. The problem, of course is that, this is a non sequitur: Meat causing cancer doesn’t mean a veg diet is healthier or won’t cause cancer.
As a matter of fact, a recent study that collected data from 10,210 people —including 1,040— vegetarians sought to answer how a vegetarian or low meat diet influences the risk of colorectal cancer compared with a diet rich in meat:
Results from this prospective cohort study showed a modest, non-significantly decreased risk of colorectal cancer for vegetarians, pescetarians, and 1 day/week meat eaters compared to 6-7 day/week meat consumers.
Although the risk of colorectal and especially rectal cancer was lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians, this was not statistically significant.
Another study found that colorectal cancer mortality doesn’t differ between vegetarians and nonvegetarians. Furthermore, yet another study found that the rate of colorectal cancer is higher among vegetarians than in nonvegetarians.
Yes, excessive consumption of red and processed meats can cause cancer but quitting them altogether does not reduce the risk.
(via Rebdo)
