WHO: Don't Have a Cow, Man
By Jonathan Springston, Associate Managing Editor, AHC Media
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report this week that says processed meats are carcinogenic to humans and that red meat is likely carcinogenic.
Joseph Scherger, MD, a regular contributor to Internal Medicine Alert, isn’t surprised by the news.
“The WHO warning that processed meats cause colorectal cancer is based on information that has been known for some time. Also, the consumption of red meat overall raises other cancer rates,” Scherger says. “Colin Campbell, the Cornell-based cancer epidemiologist, demonstrated this in The China Study, published in 2006. It is well known that vegans have lower cancer rates. Also, wild seafood is associated with less cancer.”
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a research arm of the WHO, working with 22 experts from 10 countries, determined the consumption of red meat “causes cancer in humans” and there is “strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect,” though the group says this is based on “limited evidence.” Red meat, they say, can lead to colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer.
The news for processed meats is even more dire. The group says these meats are “carcinogenic to humans, based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.”
The agency concludes this news supports current public health recommendations that call for limits on meat consumption.
David Kiefer, MD, editor of Integrative Medicine Alert, concurs.
"This study was the result of a review of over 800 scientific studies spanning 20 years, dozens of types of cancer, many countries, and a diversity of diets," Kiefer notes. "For example, the report mentioned that eating the equivalent of three pieces of bacon daily would increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Further interpretation of the report's result have varied widely among media outlets and health experts. The extra risk from eating red and processed meats probably remains small for individuals, but it adds to other data steering people to moderate or minimize their red meat intake."
Internal Medicine Alert has published recently several articles related to nutrition. In the September 15 issue, Dr. Scherger weighed in on the relationship between the regular consumption of spicy foods and reduced mortality. In the October 15 issue, Dr. Scherger discussed the blood pressure-lowering benefits of the consumption of inorganic nitrate from beet juice.
The November 15 and 29 issues will examine the relationship between eating breakfast and diabetes management, how diet can impact the size of the hippocampus, and why the Mediterranean diet may be the secret weapon in the fight against cognitive impairment. Be sure to check back soon with reliasmedia.com to read these stories and more.
As important and timely as nutrition research news is, this commentary from The New York Times cautions against drawing wild conclusions from studies that are often flawed and incomplete.