Red meat newly linked to colorectal cancer

[GHOSTDANCER]

As millions of Americans fill their plates with protein-rich steak and burgers rather than carb-heavy pasta or potatoes, researchers are reporting the strongest evidence yet that eating a lot of red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer.

Those who ate the equivalent of a hamburger a day were about 30 percent to 40 percent more likely to develop cancer of the colon or rectum than those who ate less than half that amount.

Long-term consumption of high amounts of processed meat such as hot dogs increased the risk of colon cancer by 50 percent.

<http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/bal-te.meat12jan12,0,6784887.story?coll=sfla-news-health>


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[Straight Shooter]

1. I don't think it's the red meat; I think it's what they feed the cattle

Bleccchhhh. Hormones and antibiotics and gawd-knows-what.

As a vegetarian, I'm not safe, I know that, because the pollutant crap goes everywhere. But red meat has always seemed to me to be just not "right" to eat so much of it.

[Ezlivin]

4. Do you think?

I wondered why nine year-old girls are developing breasts.

Some girls are menstruating as early as six years of age.

Who knows what else is in that meat?

[sweetheart]

9. My thoughts as well

I get free range beef from a local farm that uses no such hormones and
stuff... and it tastes outstanding... but this is quite different than
the sorts of cow factories that cram 10,000 cows in to a small pen,
jack them up with hormones and whatnot... as well, they don't take
proper precautions in the slaughter process to make sure that the
results don't have CJD or spongiform ... whatever the cow version is
called... as the US cattle industry lobbies against making their
products safe from disease.

[NashVegas]

12. I hope you're right

because my prime burger-eating years were over by the time all the hormones were introduced. Anti-biotics, I dunno.

[radwriter0555]

16. I agree. It's not the meat that's killing us, it's the cancer causing

pesticides, hormones and chemicals our environments are infested with.

[Born Free]

26. I don't think it's the red meat; I think it's what they feed the cattle

As a possible colon cancer survivor - (won't know for sure if I am a real "survivor" for another 5 years), I learned a lot about colon cancer, one of the Mayo clinic reports linked colon cancer to meat that was directly heated, such as over a grill. I don't remember the exact terminology but had something to do with a genetic/cellular alteration that occurred and this same alteration was found in more than 80% of colon cancer patients. Mayo clinic recommended you microwave the meat first, but I strongly suspect it has more to do with the meat itself and the way the industry promotes fast growth. Having colon cancer sucks..the treatment for it sucks even more.

However, colon cancer is preventable, get a colonoscopy - insurance will cover it if you have any symptoms such as bleeding ( which may be caused wiping too hard) or change in bowel movements etc.,( which could also be caused by change in eating habits etc.) likewise most insurance will cover a colonoscopy at age 50 or even sooner if a family member had colon cancer. If a relative got colon cancer at 50, insurance will cover a colonoscopy at 40 etc. ( 10 year sooner)


BTW: we had two pugs, a black and a fawn, only the black is still alive, love the picture


ON EDIT: I was wrong, it was not Mayo Clinic, but Johnm Hopkins that did the report "RESEARCH AREA: CANCER BIOLOGY
Biological Link Between Diet and Colon Cancer Uncovered"

http://www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org/labresearch/article.cfm?articleid=14&researchid=2

[Sandpiper]

2. Expect the low-carbers to flame the hell out of you

n/t

[Bark Bark Bark]

30. No Flame

Thanks to Atkins, my searing joint pain is gone and my weight dropped rapidly for the first time in...well, ever. I sleep much better, and have more energy.

And I eat very little red meat; mostly fish, chicken, turkey. That's one of many misrepresentations out there (some deliberate, some made out of sheer lack of understanding). I eat veggies, some fruit, even rice and (gasp!) bread--though hardly in the copious, bowel-clogging amounts "suggested" by the Food Pyramid.

Low-carb may not work for everyone, but I hope no one avoids it merely because it offends the tender sensibilities of the more militant vegetarians.

Lewis Black and other willfully-ignorants can make fun of me if they want; in the end, I'd rather get colorectal cancer than a massive coronary.

[Pattib]

40. As a type two diabetic I won't flame you but it is getting harder and

harder to find things to eat. I was diagnosed with diabetes several yrs. ago. I am a lean diabetic and apparently there is no ryme or reason for me to have this disease.
Not genetic either. I am 5 ft. 6 inches and have always weighed around 130 lbs. I am no athelete but I did get a moderate amount of exercise. I am happy to say that I am medication free and eat no sugar and very little carbs. to control this disease and I exercise and lift weights daily. It is so difficult to find a low carb. food that is deemed worthy. Besides some low carb veggies and chicken, what else is there? I love fish but even that is limited to a serving or two a week due to the mercury. I don't eat much processed meat. I am not a big red meat eater, but damn I hate to rule out another food again. I am already so limited in my choices.

[Borgnine]

3. That's one reason I'm glad the vegetarian lifestyle suits me.

I've stopped eating meat three and a half years ago, and I'm sure I'd feel healthier if I ever got any sleep.

[prayin4rain]

33. Haha you sound like me.

I have been a vegetarian for seven years. I really like it. But, I was just thinking today I HAVE GOT TO GET SOME SLEEP!! I am so busy with friends and work I have been averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night for three months. I can't take it anymore :) What is a girl to do?

[smbolisnch]

5. Meat.....It's what's rotting in your colon.

:puke:

[bicentennial_baby]

18. Indeed

If more people got a colon cleansing and were aware of what came out of there, after stewing for an indeterminate amount of time, they might reconsider their eating habots...

[cliss]

20. That's right.

We're a vegetarian family, so we follow the news about Mad Cow Disease with some distance now. I just wish people would stop eating meat, or at least don't eat so much of it.

I was in the grocery store with my son, about 6 months ago. We were in the frozen food section, looking for something. My son pulled out a package of frozen pizza. It was one of the cheaper brands, not very big. It was a meat-lovers pizza. He pointed to that and said, "see that? That's a dead animal on that pizza".

It hit me just how obnoxious our meat-eating is. A hindu astrologer (I forget which one) said that if you eat meat, "you have a graveyard in your stomach".

I'm not saying this out of arrogance. At least, we can cut back.

[onecent]

6. Researchers are finding.....

latteeeee dattteeeeee da....what a bunch of hooieeeee.

If "they" really know what's causing cancer "THEY" sure as hell aren't going to let the public know.

And...."Long-term consumption of high amounts of" anything will cause something......yep, you can't bank on it.

Hell there's enough crap in CANNED green beans to embalm you.

Don't listen to the news when they say "researchers say".....

[shraby]

7. It's usually pretty bad science, too.

No controls, not big enough samples, etc.
I remember when they took an artificial sweetener off the market because it "causes cancer" Come to find out they were giving the mice 1000 times a day what a person would consume.

Anybody remember the cranberries cause cancer scare back in the 1970s? Most of these so called studies are incompetence showing itself.

[jerryman814]

14. the sweetener was sacharrin (sp?) i believe...

[Psephos]

15. No, it was cyclamate

Cyclamate was banned in 1970 based on studies that showed an increase in bladder cancer when cyclamate was consumed in extremely high doses.

More than 20 subsequent studies using high-dosage regimens in animal subjects failed to confirm this finding. Even the head researcher in the original study later admitted it was flawed. Extensive epidemiological testing (i.e., looking at cancer rates in large populations and seeking correlations with cyclamate use) also failed to find any statistical evidence implicating cyclamate. In 1984, the FDA's Cancer Assessment Committee reappraised cyclamate, and released a statement that "the collective weight of the many experiments (conducted since the original findings in 1970) indicates that cyclamate is not carcinogenic." Apparently, the effect was due to other substances used alonside the cyclamate.

Cyclamate is approved for use in more than 50 countries. A petition to restore it to the approved list for the US is pending.

[Mr_Spock]

17. "Long-term consumption of high amounts of" anything

Hehe - I've been saying that for years. :D

[LeftyMom]

24. Colon cancer

The relationship between meat consumption and colon cancer is old news, it's shown up in study after study since the mid-late 70s.

Also pesticides bioaccumulate in animal fat so the levels are much higher in an omniverous person that a plant based one. Studies done on breast milk (which is the easiest thing to test for pesticide levels in humans since a certain amount of fat is required) show much higher levels of pesticides in women who eat meat, with lower levels in ovo lacto vegetarians and the lowest levels in vegans.

It's believed that the higher pesticide and hormone levels in meats, as well as the greater amount of fats and thier slower colon transit times cause the problem.

[GoSolar]

43. Thanks, LeftyMom.

Good points.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. Yikes! Thanks for the warning...

My grandmother died from colon cancer which had spread to her liver.

Love the hot doggies! :D

[NuttyFluffers]

10. AAAIIIEEE!! I just luv those hot doggies!

i could just eat 'em up! oooooh! :hug: :loveya:

[NashVegas]

11. I Saw This Story This AM in the NYT, I Think

And it went onto say that the worst of the damage is really done in the teen years. When I was chomping down triple-deckers.

Too late! May as well pass the mustard.


on edit: here

Two studies shed new light on the link between diet and cancer, bolstering evidence that red meat may raise colorectal cancer risks but casting doubt on whether fruits and vegetables can help prevent breast cancer.

The new research doesn't settle the questions, partly because both studies asked about eating habits only in adulthood. Some researchers think that may have less impact on cancer risk than lifelong eating habits.

Breast cancer risk, especially, may be more dependent on a woman's diet during adolescence, when breast cells are rapidly dividing and are more vulnerable.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-FIT-Cancer-Diet.html?oref=login

[jerryman814]

13. Most of these studies are B.S.

Most of these studies are done on a limited scale and then multiplied by some number to adjust to population. Most cancers have an heritability factor of about .6 or more (60% or more of cancer risk is due to inheritance)... Eating unhealthily is a bad habit, but there has to be a new effort in actually finding a causal, rather than correllary, argument.

P.S. those dogs are sure HOT!

[depakid]

23. Try reading the study before making foolish assertions

Meat Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer

JAMA. 2005;293:172-182.

Design, Setting, and Participants A cohort of 148,610 adults aged 50 to 74 years (median, 63 years), residing in 21 states with population-based cancer registries, who provided information on meat consumption in 1982 and again in 1992/1993 when enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS II) Nutrition Cohort. Follow-up from time of enrollment in 1992/1993 through August 31, 2001, identified 1667 incident colorectal cancers. Participants contributed person-years at risk until death or a diagnosis of colon or rectal cancer.

Main Outcome Measure Incidence rate ratio (RR) of colon and rectal cancer.

Results High intake of red and processed meat reported in 1992/1993 was associated with higher risk of colon cancer after adjusting for age and energy intake but not after further adjustment for body mass index, cigarette smoking, and other covariates.

When long-term consumption was considered, persons in the highest tertile of consumption in both 1982 and 1992/1993 had higher risk of distal colon cancer associated with processed meat (RR, 1.50; 95% confidence interval , 1.04-2.17), and ratio of red meat to poultry and fish (RR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.08-2.18) relative to those persons in the lowest tertile at both time points. Long-term consumption of poultry and fish was inversely associated with risk of both proximal and distal colon cancer.

High consumption of red meat reported in 1992/1993 was associated with higher risk of rectal cancer (RR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.15-2.52; P = .007 for trend), as was high consumption reported in both 1982 and 1992/1993 (RR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.00-2.05).

Conclusions Our results demonstrate the potential value of examining long-term meat consumption in assessing cancer risk and strengthen the evidence that prolonged high consumption of red and processed meat may increase the risk of cancer in the distal portion of the large intestine.

[rooboy]

19. This research was probably spawned by Bill O'Reilly's "felafel". n/t

[gauguin57]

21. I've been off the red meat for 20 years.

(and off the white meat for 10 years -- the only animal-type products I eat are dairy and the occasional egg and piece of seafood).

And I'm glad. Not just because of the cancer stuff. I had had just one too many underdone pieces of meat ... which used to completely skeeve me out! I don't miss the nightmare of red meat.

[peterh]

22. Well…I have to say,

I haven’t been much of a red meat eater in the last 10 to 15 yrs….but put a well prepared steak tartar with a raw egg on top in front of me and my eyes will turn the way of a shark when dining on a prey….

[Pert_UK]

25. Last time I use a sirloin buttplug.......

:evilgrin:

P.

[yinkaafrica]

27. Those dogs are a show-stopper!

Crowds must go nuts when they see these awesome guys
walking down their street.

[Stuckinthebush]

28. What is the colon cancer rate for vegetarians and vegans?

I'd like to compare and contrast those numbers.

[VegasWolf]

29. Aren't Cheeny, Rove, and georgie big red meat eaters? n/t

[ally_sc]

36. remember folks when you turn 50

to get your colonoscopy...

[Bridget Burke]

31. So I'll continue to go for quality.....

A nasty case of food poisoning put me off pre-ground hamburger. Mad Cow has convinced me to buy that expensive health-food beef.

Better the occasional excellent steak than a dozen burgers....

[callous taoboy]

42. What put me off to commercial beef

was the Frontline documentary on the meat industry. :puke:

[yellowcanine]

32. That does it! It's "well-done" for me from now on - no red showing.

Oh, err...Never Mind!

[Catfight]

34. Good thing I'm on the all carb diet....LOL...n/t

[Emillereid]

35. Don't tell the Masai people about this study --

they just might laugh themselves to death. Don't tell the Samburu either. Both groups primarily eat beef and drink fat laden milk and think vegetables are only for cattle. Neither group have any problem with either cancer or heart disease.Of course the meat they eat is grass fed - and the people get a lot of exercise following their cattle around.

In a graduate course once we examined just about every study to be had on the relationship between diet and colon cancer -- and no clear cut relationship emerged. The strongest stuff suggested that the various chemicals used in processed meats might not be a good idea; that the mutagenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) created in meat, fish, and poultry products by high heat cooking (think charred over an open flame) are best to be consumed sparingly and that there is even some tantalizing data suggesting that refined carbs and insulin play a part. If you can afford it, range fed organic meats are best -- for you and the cattle.

[Redstone]

37. Atkins must be spinning in his grave

but this isn't really news, is it?

Nonetheless, I'm happy to see ANYTHING that will get people to just SHUT UP ABOUT THE DAMN CARBS, ALREADY. These low-carbers will just about throw holy water onto a slice of bread if they see it on your plate.

Redstone

[Bark Bark Bark]

41. Cute

For my part, I wish the Sprout Nazis would STFU about meat--but I won't make any sick cracks about their dead.

[northzax]

38. having seriously considered

and weighed the evidence on both sides, I retired to my garret and pondered my options. I have decided that, in light of this new evidence, hot dogs are still worth the risk.

[Megahurtz]

39. I bet it is what they put

in the red meat. Hormones, antibiotics, and probably other things they don't tell us about. Elch!