Is red meat linked to cancer??

[ivanhow]

Diet experts urge move to poultry, fish and beans after results of long-term study.

Red meat is strongly linked to cancer


A diet packed with burgers, sausage and steak boosts the risk of developing colon or rectal cancer, a study confirms, lending weight to nutritionists' call for a switch to healthier alternatives.

A plethora of previous reports have connected red meat and colorectal cancer, which is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. But some of the results are inconsistent, and few studies have examined participants' diet over long periods, during which eating habits can change.

The new study is one of the most comprehensive so far. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society (ACS) in Atlanta, Georgia, and his team collected information on the meat-eating behaviour of nearly 150,000 people in the United States in 1982 and in 1992. They divided them into three groups according to the amount of meat they ate, and noted which patients had developed colorectal cancers by 2001.

The group that ate the most processed meat had twice the risk of developing colon cancer compared with those who ate the least, the team found; and those who ate most red meat had a 40% higher risk of getting rectal cancer.

By contrast, those who ate the highest quantity of poultry or fish had a 20-30% lower risk of developing the diseases, the team reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association1. This applied even when the researchers took into account other risk factors, such as being overweight, not taking exercise and not eating fruit and vegetables.


...

Replacing red meat with some combination of fish, poultry, nuts and beans will probably help cut your risk of colorectal cancer, says nutritional expert Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "It will have some beneficial effects for reducing heart disease as well," he adds.

For further reading: Red meat is strongly linked to cancer

But now, we have the sea food (fishes, prawns...) scare after the Tsunami.
And with the Bird Flu - eat less bird (poultry?)
Maybe we should go for more nuts, beans and more greens...
Perhaps some of our grand parents who does not consume so much of meat during those days - live longer, and seldom heard of cancer unlike today.

[tupai]

red meat like beef if derived from cattle fed on fodder/corn/grass/natural green should be ok...but white meat like pork in m'sia had been tainted with beta-agonis for the past years...the use of beta-agonis(banned thru out the world) can lead to cancer.

Of recent, the m'sian govt had gone hard on those who fed their cattle with beta-agonis...while for porky-on-beta-agonis, we were told by a mca minister to report any use of it (??)

tupai-eating-nuts.

p/s don't take my word for this...i could be tokking rooster.
Just Google 'beta-agonis in m'sia' and read...

[CCY]

Lo.. what are we up to ... Is there any other thing safe to eat other than the grass in front or back of your house ? Have pestiside tainted all over . Antibiotic ,growth hormone in chicks ,bulls & yeong meh meh and what assuarance did our food controller have to say ..

[ng]

Eat vegetarian for health !

[jand]

Eat vegetarian for health !

indeed. their numbers seem to be on the upswing trend lately, and so as responsible earthlings, we shall cull this deviant herd of humankind

should be healthier for us too since they're fed on a healthy diet

j/k j/k!

on a serious note, the sun causes cancer too, the air we breath does that too!
what are we puny mortals to do??

there is one way, and that is moderation.
that is the answer if you really think about it.

[ivanhow]

on a serious note, the sun causes cancer too, the air we breath does that too!

Err... jand
True - the sun's rays causes cancer too, but it as it passes thru the earth's upper atmosphere, the high percentage of the harmful rays would have been absorbed. Also, the body's immune system will destroy cancer cells in the body.

The sun's rays are naturally an important source of energy for living cells on earth - they are naturally important ingredients for growth.
However, red meat are not a necessity for growth and, is known to promote growth of cancel cells in the intestines.

Babies at birth, and at the age of below 1 month - does not feed on red meat at all, yet they grow... There are many examples to show that meat is not a necessary ingredient for human growth...

In view of the ever increasing cost of health maintenance especially the cost of being hospitalized, taking care of what we eat can help avoid a nasty health bill later on...

[tupai]

Originally Posted by ng
Eat vegetarian for health !

indeed. their numbers seem to be on the upswing trend lately, and so as responsible earthlings, we shall cull this deviant herd of humankind

should be healthier for us too since they're fed on a healthy diet
...

ah..are they in the red or white meat category?

tupai

[gnehkgnep]

Me too find it comical......eat vegetarian??? .......are their meat tender and delicious?? Heaven knows!!!

[gnehkgnep]

I propose eat tupai........anyone noe whether is it legal?? And what type of meat is this..........brown meat??? hehehe .......

[CCY]

I propose eat tupai........anyone noe whether is it legal?? And what type of meat is this..........brown meat??? hehehe .......

Have tasted tupai meat during my teens . Neither really red and not brown either . Whatever colour it is ,it's sure to be a choice to go for given a chance .
As our grounded tupai mentioned that it goes for nuts ...err choice natural nuts n fruits... for it's diet , thus would be finger licking good then . Whether all meat causes cancer is yet to be announce . Until then have that with a glass of red as what our kawan isa once said .

[flaminJ]

I suppose some people tend to be over critical of things... smoking causes cancer, drinking water causes cancer.... drinking anything causes cancer.... staring at the computer causes cancer. Using mobile phones causes cancer.... the list goes on i think.....

What are we to do? Some people say take more antioxidants.... taking vegetables causes cancer, with so many pesticides in the market, it could kill off an entire population this way.... by the way, how long have you been eating these kind of things anyway??? Just a thought....

[tupai]

too long eating porky...thats why majority of m'sian chinese (in the 40s upwards) ended up as cancer patients.

tupai meat is red, methink. Its delicious when deep fried to crispiness and washed down with icy beer.

tupai-for-nutz.

[ivanhow]

Not just any porky meaty...

In the days of our forefathers, meat is not that abundant, and only available (affordable) during festive season... Fish, vege and grain is the chief food of the day. Not even chicken. But, as soceity becomes more affluent, more ppl consume more and more meaty stuff even on normal days.

Here is some more suggestions for ppl who wants to keep a good heart pumping longer...

Heart-healthy eating — like healthy eating in general — is about eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and limiting animal products that are high in fat and cholesterol, such as meat and cheese. Making a few changes in your diet could improve your heart health today and for the future.

1. Limit intake of unhealthy fats and cholesterol
2. Choose low-fat protein sources
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables
4. Select whole grains
5. Practice moderation and balance

Find out here on what to eat and what to avoid.
This should be a good start for the year, I guess.
Any good suggestions?
Ref: http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100096641

[catwoman]

there r studies tht show this 2b true.... yet d japanese have d longest lifespan cos of their diet. it makes sense cos their diet is full of white meat like fish, chicken n less in dairy products n carbo, not 2 mention d cancer-preventin green tea. d europeans r oso reputed 2b have d 2nd longest lifespan, n their diet is oso full of salads, soups, breads.... not as much meat as d americans.... n red wine 2.... so i wunder is it d meat or is it d green tea n red wine huh?

[ivanhow]

Er.. catwoman,
Green Tea contains an element with antioxidant property, and scientists now isolated that element and call it catechin. That's why everyone now try to capitalize on the green-tea which had been a japanese tea drink for centuries, long before scientices know of the anti-cancerous effects of green tea.

And, fruits and vege contain antioxidants in varying amounts and variations, and hence are an important source of life. This is not to say that meat is not good at all. Scientists have also discovered certain type of fish contain antioxidants.

One of the importaint antioxidant is what scientists classify as carotenoids, and attributed the presence of carotenoids could protect women against breast cancer. (A study from John Hopkins University in Baltimore)

Astaxanthin, another commonly occuring carotenoid found in marine and aquatic animals, occurs in salmon and rainbow trout. Hence, there is value in the salmon. But salmon looks like red meat. But, this red meat is different from the red meat we find in the animal meat which is high in colesterol...

Ever wondered how the eskimos in the north pole ever live? Do they eat wild boar or fish or seal for food?

Ever wondered how the fist man and woman ever lived without meat? They did not have tools to hunt the wild, instead they were living in the garden of Eden - on fruits alone... Did anyone in the garden have to kill the snake for meat?

As for the euros, the wine come from grapes, again it is a health drink, contain a lot of antioxidants... (minus the alcohol obtained from the fermentation process - not necessarily bad as some might think)

That's why I am hearing more ppl telling me - eat less (animal) meat - no offence to the meat lovers... it's still OK if not in excessive amounts.