How does red meat cause cancer?

[Annemiek]

Now that the dust has died down a little ( at least in the low countries) on the whole meat debate, i am actually pretty interested in how exactly red and processed meat causes cancer and how it has been proven so clearly that the WHO has made it officially as a health warning to not eat too much. I really like my steak, and am also wondering if there is a difference in traditionally prepared cured meat such as Italian parmaham and salami which does only contain traditional ingredients.
Is it the bacteria? How does it work? Does anyone have good articles for me on this subject?
I need more convincing to stop eating meat altogether but I am also interested from a scientific point of view, what does make cancer tick?

What I found looking up on this forum is meta data analysis mostly ( only) , and as far as dr google it's like wading through high water with all the sensational nonsense without any scientific background.

Annemiek

[SoupRgirl]

I have nothing sciency of helpful really to add. But I must agree I love red meat and will very much like to enjoy it in moderation. Fingers crossed.

[Annemiek]

Fromhttp://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/Monographs-Q&A_Vol114.pdf
Q&A from the WHO on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat


Q. What makes red meat and processed meat increase the risk of cancer?
A. Meat consists of multiple components, such as haem iron. Meat can also contain chemicals that form during meat processing or cooking. For instance, carcinogenic chemicals that form during meat processing include N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Cooking of red meat or processed meat also produces heterocyclic aromatic amines as well as other chemicals including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are also found in other foods and in air pollution. Some of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens, but despite this knowledge it is not yet fully understood how cancer risk is increased by red meat or processed meat.

Q. Can you compare the risk of eating red meat with the risk of eating processed meat?
A. Similar risks have been estimated for a typical portion, which is smaller on average for processed meat than for red meat. However, consumption of red meat has not been established as a cause of cancer.

How in heavens name does this limited smount of knowledge cause such a stir!!

[SoupRgirl]

Exactly!!
I don't smoke or do drugs. I drink very moderately...give me my red meat. (Pounds chest with rabid look on face)

[Jack&KatiesMommy]

Try these:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/family_he ... lon-cancer
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/20050 ... lon-cancer
http://www.livescience.com/52651-red-me ... ained.html
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/conte ... 0.abstract

[peanut_8]

This article doesn't specifically address the issue of how eating red or processed meat increases cancer risk, butt does indicate that the risk is smaller than some were making it out to be.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/upsho ... enemy.html

Best Wishes, peanut

[Annemiek]

Thanks for the links J&kmom, but they all say there is a link, they just are not able to explain what that link exactly is, and as peanut's link suggest, it is not a very straight forward link, especially if it comes from analysis of big amounts of data it doesn't explain the mechanisms involved, which I would like to know more about.

Annemiek

[cathy123]

I haven't seen this written anywhere but my onc told me ground beef is worse than a steak - I can't remember the reasoning. Just another nugget of info.

I am trying to wean my family away from red meat toward chicken fish most of the time, but do enjoy a steak or burger occasionally.

[peanut_8]

It seems like with ground meat you would have an additional risk of added bacteria like e-coli, especially if not cooked well, as compared to steak. I doubt there is much difference with cancer risk.

[LeonW]

Fromhttp://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/Monographs-Q&A_Vol114.pdf

Q. Can you compare the risk of eating red meat with the risk of eating processed meat?
A. Similar risks have been estimated for a typical portion, which is smaller on average for processed meat than for red meat. However, consumption of red meat has not been established as a cause of cancer.

* Thus risk of red and processed meat is similar
* Red meat is eaten in larger portions than processed
* There is no proof of red meat causing cancer.

So, what's the risk of eating processed meat ? ?

[mmblz]

I haven't seen this written anywhere but my onc told me ground beef is worse than a steak - I can't remember the reasoning. Just another nugget of info.

Maybe because it is likely to have "pink slime" in it?

[jortego128]

They caused quite a stir when they put red and processed meat in the same carcinogen category as cigarette smoking and asbestos fibers. It was fear mongering, and heres why--

To put the red/processed meat thang in perspective, on average, there is about a 5% risk of developing colon cancer. The new study likes to throw about the 17% increased risk number if you eat a lot of processed meats. The kicker though, is that that 17% is a percentage of that original 5%!! What that means is that you are really increasing your chances of developing colon cancer by [5% +(5%*.17)], or .85%. So you are going from about a 5% risk to a 6% risk. The flashy news headline loses quite a bit of "shock" factor when you look at it that way, huh?

Still, it is an increase, and that measly sounding 5% isnt so measly to anyone here at Colon Talk, so it is worth knowing, just not worth the panic/headline news it was blown up to be.

Meanwhile, cigarette smoking raises the OVERALL risk of developing lung cancer by 15%-25%. Not even in the same ballpark as the measly 0.85% overall risk increase from eating processed meats...

http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org ... d-to-know/
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/colonandre ... statistics

[stu]

Good analysis Jortego. I get more weary of the way news is manufacture just now . I am sure it should come with a health warning all of its on. For my kids sake I work hard on their diets and decided given gran has upped their risk factors to switch their lunches to proper chicken sliced or tuna. We have red meat twice a week. Bad weather hampers all our bbq s so no worries there over the one or two a year. I remain open to putting in adjustments that will help them .
That actual process of interaction seems out of reach just now.
Take care
Court

[mariane]

I googled that red meat contains sugar molecule poultry , fish etc lack. The sugar molecule Neu5Gc caused liver cancer while injected to mice. Neu5Gc is found in large amount in human cancer tissue.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-bri ... kPS97erTiw

[teacher49]

All interesting links that are given.

I found this one that gives a layman's explanation of the pathophysiology thought to increase risk of colon cancer. http://gut.bmj.com/content/61/7/1041.abstract

I remember physicians saying many years ago that a big steak dinner was just as good as a blood transfusion.

What this article seems to be saying is the link between red meat and colon cancer may be that: red meat has excessive heme (iron) molecules that affect the colon epithelial cells (surface of colon) and sends signals downstream to the colon stem cells that in turn causes ramped up regeneration of new colon cells (growth) and any time you have excessive growth, you have a chance of faulty reproduction leading to some abnormal cells. The development of malignancy is very complex.

I read some of the other links available at the above website and I find quite interesting the theories that calcium supposedly does some excessive heme damage control.

Does that mean that if you eat a lot of red meat, drink lots of milk????? Not so simple probably. The development of malignancy is very complex.


The organization NSABP after studies: ranked risk factors for colon cancer in this order:

lack of physical activity
obesity
hereditary factors
red meat
alcohol