These days, we are listening, on Spanish radio an tv, talking about the advices from the World Health Organization, which have said that consumption of processed meat and red meat may cause cancer. But this, said so, can lengthen too much. So, I want to analyze it, a little bit, after reading an article on the Internet.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that eating processed meat, like sausages, meats or canned preparations, can cause cancer in humans, while the ingestion of red meat "probably" too. This is what the WHO says. But, now, we –as consumers— have some doubts. And, to clarify our doubts, we must first know the meaning of some terms.
For example, we can ask: What is the processed meat?. Well, the WHO says that it "is what has been transformed, through salting, curing, fermenting, smoking or other processes to improve its taste or its conservation”.
Most of these foods contain pork or beef, but may also include other red meat, poultry or by-products from meat, like blood, and some examples are sausage, ham, corned beef or canned, the jerky or preparations and meat sauces.
And what are red meat?. The WHO defined as red meat: "whole muscle meat of mammals, including beef, veal, pork, lamb, goat and horse".
Now, it should be clarified an important point: Why the processed meat is "carcinogenic" and red meat "probably carcinogenic" ?. The work, conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) includes the processed meats, in their Group 1, which contains the most hazardous substances for human health. Now, this group covers a very wide range, with more than 100 items, ranging from tobacco to the now hot news like smoke from diesel engines. According to this study, the processed meat is carcinogenic, because there is "sufficient evidence" that there is a direct relationship between consumption and the development of cancer.
For red meat, the work finds only a "limited evidence" that such food can cause cancer. Although strong "mechanistic evidence" with carcinogenic effects. In other words: although there are some considerable evidences, the relationship, between consumption and the development of the disease, is not as clear as in the first case.
Another interesting question, that we could make ourselves is: What types of cancer are associated with the consumption of these meats?.
Well, according to the WHO study, the consumption of processed meat is associated with the development of colorectal cancer, and there is also evidence of linkage with stomach tumors. In the case of red meat, the cancer is colorectal, pancreatic and prostate.
Returning to the comparison, that we used before, we could do the following question: Is eating processed meats as bad as tobacco, alcohol or pollution?. No, although they are encompassed in the same group. The numbers, in this sense, are very clear. According to statistics, cited by the WHO, 34,000 deaths from cancer, per year, worldwide, due to diets rich in processed meat. These figures contrast with the nearly one million deaths annually attributable to tobacco, 600,000 related to alcohol or 200,000 related to air pollution. Four hours ago, a Spanish nutritionist has spoken, on TV, about this issue and he has clarified the difference between the risk of cancer, due to tobacco, and the risk of cancer, by eating processed meats; and, in this sense, he has said that the risk of lung cancer, due to tobacco, is 1,500 times. And, for example, to have the same risk of cancer of Colon, we would have to eat four kilograms and 600 grams of bacon every day, equivalent to 208 slices of bacon. I think that nobody do that ......
According to the example, given by the WHO –that says that we would have to eat 50 grams, of processed meat, every day, to have a 18 percent risk of developing colorectal cancer--, we can think of the wonderful cured ham, that we produce, in many places of Spain: we would have to eat 50 grams (almost a full plate) of ham, in order that it should be detrimental for our health. I think that nobody eats a plate of ham, every day ......
After all of that, we can ask another question ourselves: Have we stop eating this kind of meat?. No, if consumption is reasonable. Red meat contains basic nutrients, in the human diet. Experts, from the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), confirm that the risk of cancer, "although it does not go away, it is minimized, to the fullest, with a reasonable consumption".
Members of this society (the SEOM) have advised to reduce consumption of botred and processed meat, to "reasonable levels"; but, they also hemphasize that meat is "a fundamental food for humans", because it facilitates a number of vitamins and minerals, for a recommended diet.
The Spanish Agency of Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) suggest that consumption of processed and red meat should be "moderate" and not more than "twice a week".
According to the chair of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN), Dr. Maria Ballesteros, red meat should be eaten "as much" twice a week, while processed should not exceed one day week. "An occasional consumption does not mean that you have not to consume this meat", she warns.
Well, I hope that this trouble does not go further away --as we say in Spain: “That blood does not arrive to the river”--, because the meat sector is very very important for the Spanish Economy; 40.000 persons work in it, so this sector is so important for the economy of many families, in Spain.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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