Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Red meat and cancer - let's not overreact
[Ed Edelson, "Steady Diet of Red Meat Increases Colon Cancer Risk," MSN Health, 11 January 2005.]
The latest scare in diet news is that eating red meat increases the chances for colon cancer, but as usual, it helps to put things in perspective:
A 20-year study of more than 148,000 adults aged 50 to 74 found those with the highest consumption of those meats were 50 percent more likely to develop cancer in the lower colon than those with the lowest consumption. The report appears in the Jan. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
But meat consumption is "not in the same scale" with other risk factors for cancer, [Dr. Michael J. Thun, head of epidemiological research at the American Cancer Society] added. Smoking is the most obvious example, but he cited two other factors most people do not always associate with cancer -- obesity and physical inactivity.
"High meat consumption is associated with at most a 50 percent increased risk for cancer of the lower colon," Thun said. "Obesity doubles the risk for all colorectal cancer, as does lack of physical activity."
The society's recommendations for risk reduction include maintaining a healthy body weight and regular physical activity.
A more cautious approach is taken by Dr. Steven H. Zeisel, who is the American Institute of Cancer Research professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
"Moderating red meat intake makes sense in terms of reducing the risk of colon cancer," Zeisel said. "But I don't think that anybody says that eating red meat now and then would increase the risk of cancer. There's no need to become a vegan or make drastic changes in diet. I would be moderating my intake a little more than I would have moderated before."
[Ed Edelson, "Steady Diet of Red Meat Increases Colon Cancer Risk," MSN Health, 11 January 2005.]
The latest scare in diet news is that eating red meat increases the chances for colon cancer, but as usual, it helps to put things in perspective:
A 20-year study of more than 148,000 adults aged 50 to 74 found those with the highest consumption of those meats were 50 percent more likely to develop cancer in the lower colon than those with the lowest consumption. The report appears in the Jan. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
But meat consumption is "not in the same scale" with other risk factors for cancer, [Dr. Michael J. Thun, head of epidemiological research at the American Cancer Society] added. Smoking is the most obvious example, but he cited two other factors most people do not always associate with cancer -- obesity and physical inactivity.
"High meat consumption is associated with at most a 50 percent increased risk for cancer of the lower colon," Thun said. "Obesity doubles the risk for all colorectal cancer, as does lack of physical activity."
The society's recommendations for risk reduction include maintaining a healthy body weight and regular physical activity.
A more cautious approach is taken by Dr. Steven H. Zeisel, who is the American Institute of Cancer Research professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
"Moderating red meat intake makes sense in terms of reducing the risk of colon cancer," Zeisel said. "But I don't think that anybody says that eating red meat now and then would increase the risk of cancer. There's no need to become a vegan or make drastic changes in diet. I would be moderating my intake a little more than I would have moderated before."
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