Werrej
In October 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report that eating red meat causes cancer. There were also concerns that the use of thermally unprocessed meat inside provokes cancerous growths. Is there, however, an actual causal relationship between eating red meat and getting sick? What are the mechanisms by which this meat can cause cancer? Is there anything we can do to reduce the potential risk without completely abandoning this product? Here are some of the questions addressed in the article.
Portion for safety
Eating red meat is good in the context of an overall healthy lifestyle. As with most things, its dose is important, and it would be wise to reduce it in your diet (particularly processed). There is a clear link between red meat intake and cancer (colorectal cancer), but causality cannot be established given various factors and the lack of intervention studies. Processed food and cancer are more strongly correlated than unprocessed red meat.
Some scientists recommend eating no more than one to two servings per month of processed foods and no more than one or two servings per week of unprocessed foods. Others suggest <300 grams per week. The World Cancer Research Foundation allows consumption of <500 grams per week. There is insufficient evidence to conclude a definitively safe level for the human body.
There are some mechanisms by which a product can be carcinogenic, but these risks are greatly mitigated by some intervention on your part. The association between meat and cancer is pragmatic because it is possible to control How long red meat is eaten, but this is not a major contributor to disease risk. There are health benefits as well, so despite the potentially dangerous association, it can sometimes be beneficial to use.
What Type of Cancer Does Red Meat Cause?
Cancer encompasses many diseases. Colorectal (colon or rectal cancer) is the third leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. This is a specific species with which significant consumption of red meat has been associated. Less strong evidence has also established an association between meat intake and an increased risk of breast, pancreatic, lung, esophageal, stomach, liver, stomach, bladder, head and neck cancers, as well as prostate, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
Varjetajiet ta' Prodott
According to WHO, red meat refers to all mammalian meat (beef, veal, pork, lamb, horse meat and goat meat). Processed product refers to meat that has been transformed by salting, curing, fermenting, smoking, or in other ways to enhance palatability or preserve it.” WHO classifies processed meat as a Group 1 and Group 2A carcinogen. A group 1 product is defined as “carcinogenic to humans”, while a 2A product is “likely” to cause cancer.
It is important to note that for the Group 1 classification, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) states that meat is classified because of its adverse effect on experimental animals. Based on the group 2A classifications, the organization claims that the product is classified as hazardous (there is inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and examples of adverse effects in experimental animals). Carcinogenesis is mediated by a mechanism that also operates in humans.
The danger of red meat
In a 2017 study, scientists concluded that consumption of 100 g of unprocessed red food per day was associated with an increased risk of developing:
- breast cancer (11%);
- colorectal cancer (17%);
- advanced prostate cancer (19%).
The scientists also reported that taking 50 grams of the processed product per day was associated with an increase in the production of:
- prostate cancer (4%);
- cancer mortality (8%);
- breast cancer (9%);
- colorectal cancer (18%);
- pancreatic cancer (19%).
Another scientific paper from December 2017 reports similar data on colorectal cancer. This analysis (based on 25 studies) concludes that there is a linear dose and response relationship between processed and unprocessed meats and this type of disease. Intake of 100 g of unprocessed product per day was associated with a relative risk of 1,12, while 50 g of processed product was associated with rates of 1,17.
2 servings per day of unprocessed and 4 servings of processed food is associated with a 1,8-fold increase in cancer risk. This review also reported that red meat consumption, combined with high amounts of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products, reduces the risk of developing the disease.
In a 2012 analysis, scientists reported that of all cases of the disease, approximately 12% of colorectal cancers (1,5% of all diseases) were strongly associated with an excess diet of red meat. Importantly, approximately half of men and a quarter of women exceeded the Cancer Research Foundation’s recommendation of 500 grams of this product per week.
They also found that an overall high meat intake is associated with a risk of overall mortality from cardiovascular disease. A WHO report concluded that eliminating red meat reduced the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. However, it is very difficult to specify the exact amount of a dangerous indicator in grams for health. Meat is consumed in the context of the entire diet, not in isolation. It is impossible to deduce an exact percentage of risk, since the level of sleep, stress and various phenomena differ significantly in each person.
Some lifestyle factors that also contribute to the development of cancer are regular smoking, a high BMI, and excessive alcohol consumption. Scientists say that a large amount of fruits and vegetables is associated with a decrease in the development of cancer in general. It is impossible to determine the cause of this affliction because the studies examining the association are observational, not randomized and controlled. Because the risk of developing the disease varies across a range of factors and takes a long time to develop, experts do not conduct randomized analyzes associated with a dangerous disease.
How to prevent risks
In 2017, scientists reported several mechanisms for the mutagenic effects of meat consumption that have been identified, but it is not clear what causes cancer in humans. A measure that is safe and protective against cancer is also unknown.
The interaction of iron with nitrates in the body
N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) are found in processed red meat. NOCs are formed endogenously in the body from nitrite and nitrate. When a person consumes this product, the iron contained in it acts as a catalyst for the formation of N-nitroso compounds.
They can potentially damage the intestinal lining and initiate cell regeneration, which can lead to DNA destruction over time. Unprocessed red meat has a less direct impact on gut damage because the chemicals in it speed up the process of NOCs formation.
What you can do about it: Gut damage caused by NOCs can be reduced or eliminated if meat is consumed with green vegetables. This is due to the fact that vegetables contain chlorophyll and vitamin C, which prevent the formation of NOCs.
Other foods high in vitamin C should also reduce the damage, although it is best to simply limit or abstain from red meat consumption for the time being is the best option.
High temperature chemicals in cooked meat
Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed during high temperature or smoking (to a lesser extent this occurs with white meat).
Such heat compounds can damage the intestines and are considered possible carcinogens.
Some researchers believe that high-heat associations cannot fully determine the link between colorectal cancer and meat products. Several studies have found no significant associations between consumption of white meat (poultry or fish) with colorectal or other cancers. Since high heat compounds are also derived from cooking white meat, this supports the idea that their presence cannot fully explain the dangerous carcinogenic properties of (processed) red meat.
However, there are other reasons why you should cook such foods at a lower temperature. Cooking meat at low heat will help reduce the weight of the final product and thus potentially prevent excessive insulin production and obesity.
What you can do about it: Eating the animal with cruciferous vegetables (broccoli or Brussels sprouts) or marinating it in spices (especially Caribbean spices like orange berries) for 20+ minutes before cooking is recommended – this can reduce the formation of HCA and PAHs.
It is also allowed to cook it at a lower temperature.
However, the researchers recommend that you follow the advice of leading nutritionists and doctors and limit yourself to the above amount of meat consumption per week. This will save your health from possible unpleasant consequences and normalize the functions of the whole organism.