Telos,
I subscribe to New England Journal Of Medicine, one of the oldest and more notable medical journals. I found nothing on eating beef and cancer. Lots of articles on Coronary Artery disease and trans fat. I usually like to see articles footnoted and studies referanced. The articles below are not footnoted which makes me doubt the creditability of the information but none the less they are on the American cancer society's websight.
Article date: 2005/01/11
"Our study was better able to separate the risk associated with meat consumption from that associated with other factors that affect colorectal cancer risk, especially obesity and physical inactivity," said co-author Michael Thun, MD, MS, chief of epidemiology and surveillance research at ACS.
The verdict: Eating large amounts of red or processed meat over a long period of time can indeed raise colorectal cancer risk. But the risks from such a diet are smaller than those from obesity and lack of exercise, both for colon cancer and for overall health.
"While these risks to overall health are not in the same league as the risk from smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity," said Thun, "these findings are important because red and processed meat are major components of the diet of many Americans, and because there is now substantial evidence that long-term high consumption increases the risk of colon cancer."
The findings, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 293, No. 2: 172-182), are based on a long-term study of nearly 149,000 adults between the ages of 50 and 74. The participants filled out a questionnaire about their eating habits in 1982, and again in 1992/1993. Thun and his colleagues looked at how many people had developed colon cancer by 2001, then analyzed the risk according to how much red meat, poultry, or fish the people had eaten.
A Few Ounces a Day Raised Risk
The people who ate the most red meat in both time periods were 30%-40% more likely to develop cancer in the lower part of the colon, compared to people who ate the least. People who ate the most processed meats were 50% more likely to develop colon cancer and 20% more likely to develop rectal cancer compared to those who ate the least.
So how much meat are we talking about?
For red meat (beef, lamb, pork), the researchers defined "high" consumption as 3 or more ounces per day for men -- or about the amount of meat in a large fast-food hamburger. For women the "high" amount was 2 or more ounces per day. For processed meat (bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, cold cuts) "high" consumption was 1 ounce eaten 5 or 6 days per week for men, and 2 or 3 days per week for women. A slice of bologna weighs about 1 ounce; 2 slices of cooked bacon weigh a little more than half an ounce.
Go to American Cancer Society and one of there healthy diets is Asian Beef salad. see below.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/greatamericans/content/Asian_Beef_Salad.asp
One of the healthy lifestyle recommendations is
"Processed and red meats: Cutting back on processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, and luncheon meat, and red meats like beef, pork and lamb may help reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancers. These foods are also high in saturated fat, so eating less of them and eating them less often will also help you lower your risk of heart disease."
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Eating_Lots_of_Red_Meat_Linked_to_Colon_Cancer.asp
Eating Lots of Red Meat Linked to Colon Cancer
Risk Less Than That Posed by Obesity
Article date: 2005/01/11
People who eat a lot of red meat or processed meats may be raising their risk for colon cancer. Although this link has been shown before, a new study by American Cancer Society researchers helps explain the relationship.
"Our study was better able to separate the risk associated with meat consumption from that associated with other factors that affect colorectal cancer risk, especially obesity and physical inactivity," said co-author Michael Thun, MD, MS, chief of epidemiology and surveillance research at ACS.
The verdict: Eating large amounts of red or processed meat over a long period of time can indeed raise colorectal cancer risk. But the risks from such a diet are smaller than those from obesity and lack of exercise, both for colon cancer and for overall health.
"While these risks to overall health are not in the same league as the risk from smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity," said Thun, "these findings are important because red and processed meat are major components of the diet of many Americans, and because there is now substantial evidence that long-term high consumption increases the risk of colon cancer."
The findings, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 293, No. 2: 172-182), are based on a long-term study of nearly 149,000 adults between the ages of 50 and 74. The participants filled out a questionnaire about their eating habits in 1982, and again in 1992/1993. Thun and his colleagues looked at how many people had developed colon cancer by 2001, then analyzed the risk according to how much red meat, poultry, or fish the people had eaten.
A Few Ounces a Day Raised Risk
The people who ate the most red meat in both time periods were 30%-40% more likely to develop cancer in the lower part of the colon, compared to people who ate the least. People who ate the most processed meats were 50% more likely to develop colon cancer and 20% more likely to develop rectal cancer compared to those who ate the least.
So how much meat are we talking about?
For red meat (beef, lamb, pork), the researchers defined "high" consumption as 3 or more ounces per day for men -- or about the amount of meat in a large fast-food hamburger. For women the "high" amount was 2 or more ounces per day. For processed meat (bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, cold cuts) "high" consumption was 1 ounce eaten 5 or 6 days per week for men, and 2 or 3 days per week for women. A slice of bologna weighs about 1 ounce; 2 slices of cooked bacon weigh a little more than half an ounce.
One
