The World Health Organization (WHO) clarified the fact that there is no need to completely turn into a staunch vegetarian or adopt a vegan diet, as you can still eat red meat and not worry about cancer. A few days ago, there were headlines floating everywhere when the WHO claimed processed meat to be carcinogenic, and that red meat could be a potential source of the latter.
WHO’s team of experts reviewed and studied the effects and links between processed meat and cancer. The findings suggested that by consuming red meat, risk of colorectal cancer is increased by 18% with every intake of 1.7 ounces of smoked, salted, or fermented meat. This means that the average chance of 1 in 263 leaps to 1 in 227. On the other hand, red meat was categorized as “probably carcinogenic.” Researchers estimated that the risk increases by 17% with every 3.5 ounces (100g). This included mammalian muscle, such as beef, pork, lamb, veil, and several others. These reports have raised a great deal of concern for meat lovers.
However, the WHO clarified that they were not asking people to stop consuming processed meat. Their findings were meant to raise awareness with regard to adopting a healthy eating lifestyle, and to convey that by minimizing the intake of processed meat, people will reduce their risk towards colorectal cancer.
This clearly suggests that there is a much more indefinite cause-and-effect relationship between bacon, salami, and sausages with the potentially deadly disease. A recent statement from the WHO states, “The IARC did not ask people to stop eating processed meats; rather it indicated that reducing consumption of these products can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.”
IARC was established 50 years ago through a resolution of the World Health Assembly as a functionally independent cancer agency under the auspices of WHO. Gregory Härtl, a spokesman for WHO, informed The Irish Times that the original message from the report was misinterpreted. “We’re not saying stop eating processed meats altogether. Do not cut out meats completely, as it has nutrients,” he said. “But we do not want to do anything to excess. Research indicates reducing your consumption of processed meats can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.”
Furthermore, WHO also tweeted after giving clarification, asked people to re-appraise the report in greater detail. One of the tweets noted that despite processed meat being placed in the same category as tobacco and asbestos, the health risks of processed meat are “vastly different” to those two substances, adding that there is no “safe level of exposure” for tobacco and asbestos as there is for processed meat. Mr. Härtl said it was a “shortcoming” of the classification system that tobacco, processed meats, and arsenic were in the same group.
“We do not want to compare tobacco and meat because we know that no level of tobacco is safe,” Mr. Härtl said. “Eating healthily means eating a balanced diet, too much of anything is not good.”
Currently, the FSAI recommends 300g of red meat a week, which is a 100g portion for three days a week.
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