“The experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%”.
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Gene Hall, a spokesman for the Texas Farm Bureau, told the Tribune, “To put red meat in the same sentence as tobacco and asbestos is absurd”.
The global Agency for Research on Cancer reported the findings after evaluating the cancer-causing effects of eating red meats and processed meat over a period of time.
A document released by the France-based agency said the decision was made by a working group of 22 experts from 10 countries convened by its Monographs Program, after thoroughly reviewing accumulated scientific literature – more than 800 studies that investigated the associations with more than a dozen types of cancer, including large prospective cohort studies conducted over the past 20 years. “Yes – you do need red meat for growth but in moderation”, she said. In this case, according to World Health Organization, “limited evidence” means that a positive association between red meat and cancer has been observed, but that other explanations could not also be ruled out.
What exactly is it in red and processed meat that makes it carcinogenic?
“We don’t use any chemicals in our smoking, all of our meat is smoked with hickory, and we specifically in our smoking process burn the wood prior to smoking so we burn off anything that could be on the wood so we get a real clean smoke on our meat”, Will Carter, owner of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, said.
This compares with about 1 million cancer deaths per year globally due to tobacco smoking and 600,000 a year due to alcohol consumption, it said.
“Red meat such as beef and lamb, is a critical, natural source of iron and zinc, vitamin B12 and omega-3 – essential nutrients needed to keep the body and brain functioning well”.
He said people should not eat processed meat with amine-rich foods, such as scallops, pacific saury and squid, because nitrosamine can form when nitrate and amine-rich foods are consumed together.
“AICR continues to recommend avoiding processed meats and eating no more than 18 ounces of cooked red meat weekly to lower colorectal cancer risk”, the statement added. That doesn’t mean it increases your risk by anywhere near an equivalent amount.
“One mechanism is that this processing increases the level of aromatic amines and aromatic hydrocarbons in the food, which can cause damage to human DNA, which increases the risk of colon cancer”, Swaminath explained.
Ensing admits there are definitely processed meats out there that are bad for you, but not in his shop.
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“In a few studies, participants who eat diets high in processed meat experience a risk for colorectal cancer that is almost double that of non-meat-eaters”.
