If you want to cut down on your cancer risk, the latest info suggests, you should be monitoring your intake of red meat:
SYRACUSE – A major American Cancer Society study finds people who reported eating high amounts of red and processed meat were thirty to fifty percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those who eat little or no meat at all.
The study of nearly 150,000 Americans, is the largest and most comprehensive study to date, and adds to previous evidence linking higher consumption of red and processed meat to intestinal cancer.
"This is not a condemnation of meat consumption," said Dr. Alfred Ashford, chief medical officer, of The American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey. "It’s further proof that there’s a greater risk of disease if red or processed meat is a large part of your diet."
Researchers followed 148,610 adults aged 50 to 74 residing in 21 states who provided information on meat consumption in 1982 and again in 1992-1993 while participating in the Society’s Cancer Prevention Study II.
It found that participants who consumed the most red meat were thirty percent more likely to develop colon cancer. And those who eat more processed meats like, bacon, hot-dogs and processed luncheon meats were 50 percent more likely to develop colon cancer.
The risk posed by long-term consumption of red and processed meats is similar to or comparatively smaller to risks associated with other lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity and obesity, which are generally thought to create 1.5 percent to double the risk.
"When detected early, the five year survival rate is 90 percent," said Amy Norpell of The American Cancer Society’s Syracuse office, "It suggests limiting portion sizes, and looking to alternative protein sources in your diet."
KFC sounds better and better…
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.