Red Meat and Colon Cancer

[anasuya]

This is a paper that was written in 2010, so perhaps you have seen this already but I just encountered it.

This is a meta study of past epidemiological studies taking a closer look at the association between red meat consumption and cancer. Apparently the evidence is equivocal. In some studies there were no associations between cancer and red meat consumption, in others there was a small association, but also small associations between high fruit consumption and colon cancer. Not statistically significant in either case is the conclusion of the study. None of the studies made note of quality of red meat ie. if the meat was pasture-raised versus feed-lot raised.

I've often encountered women clients who are anemic who desperately need good sources of dietary heme iron but are afraid to eat red meat for fear of getting cancer. Also anemia is a dangerous condition to have if you already do have cancer, and it is important for cancer patients to have a diet that supports healthy red blood cell production.  I  find that many people are convinced that the only way they will beat their cancer is to do a raw foods vegan diet but this is not right for everyone. Just last week I had a client with thyroid cancer go on a raw food vegan diet for 3 months and experience a big decrease in energy and increase in weight.


This is the abstract:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00785.x/abstract



And this is the whole study:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00785.x/asset/j.1467-789X.2010.00785.x.pdf?v=1&t=h3fzstgp&s=10886b0b4bdf5414bdf121a6ed8e97c6414058c9

[jodi f.]

Thank you for posting this, Anasuya. Timely posting, I should say. I'm in the process of reviewing and editing the TN chapter on cancer and I'm finding similar information everywhere. What's particularly frustrating is that when I can read the details of a study, not just the abstract, I'm often finding that when study authors say "meat," they're including grocery store fresh meats (factory-farmed) along with fast-food burgers and processed meats, such as sausage, luncheon meats, and salami. From this diverse selection, they're making broad, all-encompassing statements. And I've seen no studies that have compared pastured and wild meats of any kind -- bird or beast -- with commercial.

There is, however, a group of researchers out of Cal State Chico and UC Davis who have been working together for close to a decade, maybe longer, on discerning the nutritional differences between pastured beef and industrial. Their 2010 findings are that pastured beef, compared to grain-fed, contains more beta-carotene (who even thought of meat as a source of this?), vitamin E, and "cancer fighting antioxidants such as glutathione (GT)
and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity." Pastured also contains a different array of saturated fatty acids, ones that are less associated with raising blood lipids.

Now, this is nutrient content, not a study on cancer prevention, but in searching the literature, I'm finding almost nothing about meats causing cancer. In fact, I'm finding retractions of such statements made in earlier studies. The greatest dietary evidence for cancer that I'm seeing is for diets high in refined carbohydrates, and alcohol, too, in some instances. On the other side of the equation, i.e., what is truly cancer-preventive, it's naturally that which we Americans have too little of in our diets: plant foods, especially vegetables.

What I also never see mentioned is what is meant by "high," as in diets high in meat. And what else are these folks eating? Just meat? Meat and potatoes? Or, does their diet contain a large array of colorful fruits and vegetables? This is the study I want to see.

[anasuya]

Glad it was interesting and helpful, Jodi. I downloaded a pdf on some Chico State research on grass fed beef. Haven't read it yet but I've attached it here in case others want to read too.

I know it is so frustrating that the studies on meat and cancer don't take into account quality at any level, and the amount that is considered high isn't often defined.

Thanks for looking into all these studies and continually updating the NC material!