Writen By: Lachlan Boyd
The WHO has just labeled red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans and Processed meat as Carcinogenic to humans.
This is the crux of the issue, as being spread by the media shouted from the rooftops by non-meat eaters and denied by carnivores the world over.
Meat = cancer risk
Before we start the discussion, I want to add some colour to this equation
Meat + No Vegetables + processed food + preservatives + little exercise + environment +stress+ high sugar intake + genetics and Epigenetic's + technology + unknown factors = cancer risk
Or
∑Life choices = cancer risk
This is a simplification to be sure so lets take a look at the facts surrounding the above in our life and how this might impact the results from the current recommendations being supported by the WHO and why it might be good to listen to the experts. While every person is a study of one these recommendations are born of a need for change and a huge burden on our health system.
There are three main reasons that meat products have just been red flagged by the WHO.
Inflammation - Red meat is generally high in omega-6s, which has an inflammatory effect on the body especially the lining of the gut (intestine)
Oxidative damage- Diets with high red and processed meat produce higher levels of oxidative stress in the gut and tissue.
Chemical - Heterocyclic amines or HCA is a compound found in cooked meat and is considered a carcinogen to humans, preservatives used in proccesing of meat products have also been shown to be carcinogenic.
We are designed to eat a large range of different foods for health. The guts we have are able to digest this range of food, we learned to hunt and fish not to slowly kill ourselves off but to thrive using all available resources. A balanced diet will combat disease and create balance in our systems. Designed to eat everything we are.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods - Omega 3s found in fish, seeds and wait for it..Grass fed red meat! are known to reduce inflammation in the body and aid tissue repair.
Anti-oxidants - Those awesome things found in VEGETABLES and FRUIT combat free radicals caused by oxidative stress.
Chemical reactions! - Highly processed food is never going to be healthy, however we can combat HCA by geeking out, say it with me MARINATE, marinating meat reduces the amount of HCA produced during cooking, plus it makes things taste good.
So why the fuss, why meat? Simply put we are NOT eating the good the bad and the ugly mostly just the bad. According to the national heart foundation of Australia in 2012 less then 9% of the population ate the recommended daily serve of Vegetables. while 48% of us consumed the recommended daily fruit intake. Combined this means that 6% of the population is getting their recommended daily fruit and veg intake. Meaning 21,850,000 of the population DO NOT eat enough veg and 68% are in denial believing our diet is healthy or good. Add to this the ridiculous amounts of sugar the average Australian consumes and the lack of intelligent movement that we do as a whole and things start to stack up.
The WHO report is true, meat does cause cancer, the experts are correct and this has become an issue through neglect. Our high protein two food group western diet is hurting us. It highlights a bigger issue, far beyond meat causing cancer. We are in desperate need of change to our equation to use medicine, FOOD, lifestyle, environment and technology to stop fighting disease of our own creation.
Resources:
- http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/
- http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/fruit/en/index2.html
- http://www.iarc.fr/index.php
- http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/latestcontent
- Ulf Hammerling, Jonas Bergman Laurila, Roland Grafström & Nils-GunnarIlbäck (2015): Consumption of Red/processed Meat and Colorectal Carcinoma: Possible Mechanisms underlying the Significant Association, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2014.972498
- Dominik D. Alexander PhD, MSPH, Douglas L. Weed MD, PhD, Paula E. Miller MPH & Muhima A. Mohamed MPH (2015) Red Meat and Colorectal Cancer: A Quantitative Update on the State of the Epidemiologic Science, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 34:6, 521-543, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2014.992553
