I’m referring to meat. Comparatively, a meta-analysis by Harvard researchers found that individuals who smoked an average of 40 cigarettes-two packs-per day had a 38 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared with non-smokers. While the World Health Organization report has created a stir, it’s not as if we haven’t heard this news before. After newspapers proclaimed that eating bacon was as unsafe as smoking cigarettes – one such headline in the Guardian, a British newspaper, proclaimed that “Processed Meats Rank Alongside Smoking as Cancer Cause” – carnivores around the world were left wondering if they would need to give up their beloved meaty treats.
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A report from the global Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that claims red and processed meats cause cancer is a bunch of bull, according to Atascosa County Farm Bureau President Pete Pawelek. Study participants who ate 85 grams of unprocessed red meat a day – the equivalent of three thin slices of roast beef – had a 13 per cent increase in risk of death during the study period (a whopping 33 per cent of British people eat more than 100 grams of meat a day). USCA is confident that consumers will continue to realize the proven nutritional benefits of red meat. That’s not much – but it is still more than anyone needs.
More surprisingly, in Britain at least, research indicates that there is no difference in the incidence of cancer between vegetarians and meat eaters.
It has been more than a week since the World Health Organization’s worldwide Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued its report linking the consumption of processed meats to an increased risk for developing certain cancers. Bacon and other processed meats are now considered group 1 carcinogens; the nitrates and nitrites used to cure these meats turn into cancer-causing N-nitroso compounds in the gut.
However, if processed meats are included on the list, the meat industry can likely avoid the requirement of a Proposition 65 label on preemption grounds.
Studies also show that people who eat a lot of red meat tend to eat fewer plant-based foods that protect against cancer.
“Cancer is one thing to worry about, but there are things that are more common that we discount just because they aren’t associated with cancer directly”, Brooks said.
The latest statistics suggest that around 10 million adults in Britain still smoke – but more than 60 million Britons now eat meat and dairy products.
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But for many, the warning might be irrelevant.
