Red Meat

[Terpe]

increases death, cancer and heart risk, says study


A diet high in red meat can shorten life expectancy, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School.

The study of more than 120,000 people suggested red meat increased the risk of death from cancer and heart problems.

Substituting red meat with fish, chicken or nuts lowered the risks, the authors said.

The British Heart Foundation said red meat could still be eaten as part of a balanced diet.

The researchers analysed data from 37,698 men between 1986 and 2008 and 83,644 women between 1980 and 2008.

Dr Rosemary Leonard says the risks associated with eating a lot of red meat are "very clear"
They said adding an extra portion of unprocessed red meat to someone's daily diet would increase the risk of death by 13%, of fatal cardiovascular disease by 18% and of cancer mortality by 10%. The figures for processed meat were higher, 20% for overall mortality, 21% for death from heart problems and 16% for cancer mortality.

The study said: "We found that a higher intake of red meat was associated with a significantly elevated risk of total, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality.

"This association was observed for unprocessed and processed red meat with a relatively greater risk for processed red meat."

The researchers suggested that saturated fat from red meat may be behind the increased heart risk and the sodium used in processed meats may "increase cardiovascular disease risk through its effect on blood pressure".

Victoria Taylor, a dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Red meat can still be eaten as part of a balanced diet, but go for the leaner cuts and use healthier cooking methods such as grilling.

"If you eat processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages or burgers several times a week, add variation to your diet by substituting these for other protein sources such as fish, poultry, beans or lentils."

Source:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17345967

[grahamw48]

That's most of us dying early then.

Can they please just make what IS left of my life less stressed by all these doom-laden reports.

Soon we'll all be on blinkin bread (reduced-salt wholemeal) and water.

Actually, the biggest problem facing the planet is OVER-population, so what are they worried about ?

[imagine]

i love my rump steak

[Terpe]

I love my bacon

I just heard someone suggest that home made sausages would be OK if the meat was prepared from a single piece of fresh meat.

Wonder if home-cured bacon is OK.

[lastlid]

The Swedes recently did a study on processed meats and a strong correlation with pancreatic cancer......

http://junksciencecom.files.wordpres...tic-cancer.pdf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16526695

[Doc Alan]

In a week when we’ve been told that something in Coke and Pepsi causes cancer ( not true for humans, the only possible link being indirect, through obesity ) I can imagine the reaction of members, the general public, hard working butchers and others in the meat trade, to scaremongering in the media about the perils of red meat.
Since the topic has been raised, I will put it into perspective, having read the original article
( http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/con...nmed.2011.2287 ).
In the UK, 2/5 of us can expect to get cancer ( over 200 different types ) at some stage, but treatment ensures that only half of these will cause death. 2/5 of the total are due to lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, obesity, alcohol and occupation. Screening ( to diagnose early ), and vaccination ( to prevent ) help. However, at least half can’t realistically be avoided – age, hormones, geographical / environmental factors, and an element of luck ( where the cause is unknown ). Around 1/10 cancers may be linked to diet. What this American study of health professionals tells us is that too much red meat and processed meat could increase the risk of dying from cancer – they don’t say which, but other studies point to large bowel especially – by up to 16%.
As for cardiovascular disease, fewer of us are getting heart attacks, and more of those that do survive because of improving treatment. In the next few years, deaths from cancers will exceed those from cardiovascular disease. As with cancers, there are several main risk factors for cardiovascular disease apart from diet ( age, sex, high blood pressure, alcohol, exercise, and stress ). This study claims an increased risk of dying from heart disease due to too much red or processed meat of around 1/5.
This news is either going to annoy the general public and / or they will choose to ignore it, on the basis that “ You’ve got to die of something, I like red meat, bacon sandwiches, and sausages and I’ll decide what I want to eat “. Those who delve a little deeper and bother to read the evidence may well reach the same conclusion. Some might improve their diet, which is only one factor in life expectancy. Of course eating less red meat would be good for our planet. Livestock uses a third of the world’s land surface ( mostly for permanent pasture ), and half of the population is malnourished.

[aug06_2006]

my family not meat eater we're grass eater lol

[grahamw48]

Ah, I'm cutting the lawn tomorrow....will PM you.

[Terpe]

..... What this American study of health professionals tells us is that too much red meat and processed meat could increase the risk of dying from cancer ...

...This study claims an increased risk of dying from heart disease due to too much red or processed meat of around 1/5...

Alan, does this report give any indications of what is meant by "too much" ?

One of the BBC's experts suggested it's OK to eat 3 or 4 steaks (the size of a deck of playing cards) per week. That's more than we have anyway.

Seems like a new report comes out at least every month now.

[lastlid]

I like red meat, bacon sandwiches, and sausages and I’ll decide what I want to eat . Those who delve a little deeper and bother to read the evidence may well reach the same conclusion.

Hi Doc. My impression from the blurb is that if we are over partial to processed meats and partake of such foods on a very regular basis then one is indeed more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Have I got this wrong?

I like bacon and sausages too but I do show some restraint as I tend to think I will get fat, at best, if i don't. I therefore make a conscious decision to confine the amount of such foods to reasonable levels.

Having read the swedish study reports, basically, I am of a mind that if I eat processed meats in solely in moderation I will reduce my chances of high blood pressure, obesity and yes, maybe even pancreatic cancer. It might lead to a less exciting life from a culinary point of view but I hope it will lead to a longer and healthier life and a better sex life. (I will probably get run over by a bus tomorrow )

[grahamw48]

Alan, does this report give any indications of what is meant by "too much" ?

One of the BBC's experts suggested it's OK to eat 3 or 4 steaks (the size of a deck of playing cards) per week. That's more than we have anyway.

Seems like a new report comes out at least every month now.

I heard 'more than 500g a WEEK' quoted.

[lastlid]

Ah, I'm cutting the lawn tomorrow....will PM you.

Baaaaaaa

[grahamw48]

Hmm, my friend (married to the Filipina ex-wife's cousin) died over a year ago from Pancreatic Cancer.

He was 69 years old, a 40+ a day smoker and a pretty big drinker too.

Spent 30 years in the Philippines and led a hell of a full (usually fit healthy) and adventurous life.

Yes, a few more years would have been good, but I don't remember him expressing any regrets in the days before his death.

This doesn't mean that I condone either drinking or smoking to excess, and I certainly witnessed what an awful way it is to go.

[lastlid]

Hmm, my friend (married to the Filipina ex-wife's cousin) died over a year ago from Pancreatic Cancer.

He was 69 years old, a 40+ a day smoker and a pretty big drinker too.

Spent 30 years in the Philippines and led a hell of a full (usually fit healthy) and adventurous life.

Yes, a few more years would have been good, but I don't remember him expressing any regrets in the days before his death.

This doesn't mean that I condone either drinking or smoking to excess, and I certainly witnessed what an awful way it is to go.

I agree. And I have a lovely young wife and I don't want to go too soon. I don't just have me to think about now.

[andy222]

I agree. And I have a lovely young wife and I don't want to go too soon. I don't just have me to think about now.

I see people die frequently. One thing I will say though. You dont know how and when you will die so just enjoy life while you can.

[lastlid]

I see people die frequently. One thing I will say though. You dont know how and when you will die so just enjoy life while you can.

I dont envy you your job Andy. You are a top man.

[Doc Alan]

Cancer of the pancreas is usually bad news, but since it's been mentioned, I'll summarize it here. The ONLY good news is that it’s uncommon. There are about 8000 cases each year ( out of about 135,000 total ) in the UK, but unlike many commoner cancers, about the same number also die from it each year.
Pancreatic cancer is often a “silent cancer” because there are usually no symptoms in the early stages. Early symptoms are often vague, unrecognised, and be dismissed by patients and doctors alike.
Symptoms can include:
• Painless jaundice (yellow skin/eyes, dark urine)
• Significant and unexplained weight loss
• New onset of significant persistent abdominal pain
• New-onset diabetes NOT associated with weight gain
ALL of these can have other causes, and there is no reliable diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer, so it tends not to be diagnosed until it is advanced.
Risk factors include smoking ( 1/5 ), alcohol abuse and chronic pancreatitis, diabetes, stomach ulcer, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Because it is - fortunately – a rare cancer, and diet is such a complicated matter, we don’t know what dietary factors, such as red meat, may be linked to its cause. A large study ( EPIC = European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and nutrition ) may give us the answer in the future.

[lastlid]

Cancer of the pancreas is usually bad news, but since it's been mentioned, I'll summarize it here. The ONLY good news is that it’s uncommon. There are about 8000 cases each year ( out of about 135,000 total ) in the UK, but unlike many commoner cancers, about the same number also die from it each year.
Pancreatic cancer is often a “silent cancer” because there are usually no symptoms in the early stages. Early symptoms are often vague, unrecognised, and be dismissed by patients and doctors alike.
Symptoms can include:
• Painless jaundice (yellow skin/eyes, dark urine)
• Significant and unexplained weight loss
• New onset of significant persistent abdominal pain
• New-onset diabetes NOT associated with weight gain
ALL of these can have other causes, and there is no reliable diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer, so it tends not to be diagnosed until it is advanced.
Risk factors include smoking ( 1/5 ), alcohol abuse and chronic pancreatitis, diabetes, stomach ulcer, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Because it is - fortunately – a rare cancer, and diet is such a complicated matter, we don’t know what dietary factors, such as red meat, may be linked to its cause. A large study ( EPIC = European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition ) may give us the answer in the future.

Cheers Doc. I am a little paranoid on the topic of the pancreas as I had pancreatitis a few years ago as a result of my gall bladder playing up.

[KeithD]

I've been telling people this for years I live on chicken

New Scientist has mentioned this numerous times, usually based on scientific evidence of the transfer of free radicals from the red meat, which are extremely high compared with white meat, beef being the worse, and I haven't eaten that since I was 16

For those of you who think you can take antioxidants to clean up free radicals, remeber they also clean up the good ones your body needs . The only double blind test of antioxidants I'm aware of over the long term resulted in a higher death rate for those who took them.

[lastlid]

I've been telling people this for years I live on chicken

New Scientist has mentioned this numerous times, usually based on scientific evidence of the transfer of free radicals from the red meat, which are extremely high compared with white meat, beef being the worse, and I haven't eaten that since I was 16

For those of you who think you can take antioxidants to clean up free radicals, remeber they also clean up the good ones your body needs . The only double blind test of antioxidants I'm aware of over the long term resulted in a higher death rate for those who took them.

No fish?

[lastlid]

For those of you who think you can take antioxidants to clean up free radicals, remeber they also clean up the good ones your body needs . The only double blind test of antioxidants I'm aware of over the long term resulted in a higher death rate for those who took them.

Damn. I was just polishing off a few grams of dried peaches.

[Doc Alan]

To answer Terpe's question ( " does this report give any indications of what is meant by "too much" ? " ) :-
The study defined “ standard serving portion sizes “ as 85g ( 3 oz ) for unprocessed red meat. Processed red meat included “ bacon “ ( 2 slices, 13 g ), “ hot dogs “ ( one, 45 g ), and “ sausage, salami, bologna, and other processed red meats ( 1 piece, 28 g ). They estimated ( their word ) that 9.3% in men and 7.6% in women of total deaths during follow up could be prevented if all the participants consumed fewer than 0.5 servings per day of total red meats in these cohorts ( groups ). That would be equivalent to one large steak a week. The average Briton is said to consume 70g ( 2.5 oz ) a day.
Their conclusion : “ We found that greater consumption of unprocessed and processed red meats is associated with higher mortality risk. Compared with red meat, other dietary components, such as fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains, were associated with lower risk. These results indicate that replacement of red meat with alternative healthy dietary components may lower the mortality risk. “
A sense of proportion is needed. It’s been suggested that people who have a diet high in red meat may be more likely to smoke, be overweight, and not exercise. These are called “ confounding variables “ for which this study adjusted. The sensible conclusion is that people should consider cutting down on red and processed meat as part of getting - and keeping - healthier.

[lastlid]

The sensible conclusion is that people should consider cutting down on red and processed meat as part of getting - and keeping - healthier.

That was my conclusion too.

[South-east boy]

Ah, I'm cutting the lawn tomorrow....will PM you.

[Terpe]

Thanks for that explanation Doc.

[KeithD]

No fish?

I have fish/lamb/pork about once a week, just one of them though, not all 3

You are what you eat .... which probably explains all the feathers on my

[lastlid]

Puuuuk puk puk puk puuuk.

[Vische]

Ah, I'm cutting the lawn tomorrow....will PM you.

nice

[Vische]

Fish and fruits are my favorite to eat and a little vegetables but i like pakbet all-out vegetables. We rarely eat pork/beef/chicken meat when i was a kid cause meat are only served when there are occasions we always eat seafoods like seashells, squids, different kinds of fish cause we're so near the sea my father use to catch some hahaha

[sars_notd_virus]

we rarely eat red meat..my husband can eat chicken everyday:
..the benefits??? he's nearly 50 and looks so lean and sexy