PARIS — Eating processed meat can lead to
bowel cancer while red meat is also a cause of the disease, though less
likely, World Health Organisation (WHO) experts said on Monday in
findings that could sharpen debate over the merits of a meat-based diet.
The
France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part
of the WHO, put processed meat such as hot dogs and ham in its group 1
list, which already includes tobacco, asbestos and diesel fumes, for
which there is "sufficient evidence" of cancer links.
"For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed," Dr Kurt Straif of the IARC said in a statement.
Red meat, under which the IARC includes beef, lamb and pork, was classified as a "probable" carcinogen in its group 2A list that also contains glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weed killers.
The lower classification for red meat reflected "limited evidence" that it causes cancer. The IARC found links mainly with bowel cancer, as was the case for processed meat, but it also observed associations with pancreatic and prostate cancer.
The agency, whose findings on meat followed a meeting of health experts in France earlier this month, estimated that each 50g portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. The IARC, which was assessing meat for the first time and reviewed about 800 studies, does not compare the level of cancer risk associated with products in a given category, so does not suggest eating meat is as dangerous as smoking, for example.
Health policy in some countries already calls for consumers to limit intake of red and processed meat. The preparation of the IARC’s report has already prompted vigorous reactions from meat industry groups, which argue that meat forms part of a balanced diet and that cancer risk assessments need to be set in a broader context of environmental and lifestyle factors.
Dr Devan Moodley, an oncologist at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, on Monday said he certainly would not stop eating "a good steak" following the reports.
"To put the results into perspective, the risk posed by processed meats is nowhere near the risk when it comes to smoking and cancer. Smoking carries a 20-fold increase in terms of risk of cancer."
"Those conducting the survey found that there might be a signal between red meat and cancer," he said.
Reuters with Staff Reporter
"For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed," Dr Kurt Straif of the IARC said in a statement.
Red meat, under which the IARC includes beef, lamb and pork, was classified as a "probable" carcinogen in its group 2A list that also contains glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weed killers.
The lower classification for red meat reflected "limited evidence" that it causes cancer. The IARC found links mainly with bowel cancer, as was the case for processed meat, but it also observed associations with pancreatic and prostate cancer.
The agency, whose findings on meat followed a meeting of health experts in France earlier this month, estimated that each 50g portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. The IARC, which was assessing meat for the first time and reviewed about 800 studies, does not compare the level of cancer risk associated with products in a given category, so does not suggest eating meat is as dangerous as smoking, for example.
Health policy in some countries already calls for consumers to limit intake of red and processed meat. The preparation of the IARC’s report has already prompted vigorous reactions from meat industry groups, which argue that meat forms part of a balanced diet and that cancer risk assessments need to be set in a broader context of environmental and lifestyle factors.
Dr Devan Moodley, an oncologist at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, on Monday said he certainly would not stop eating "a good steak" following the reports.
"To put the results into perspective, the risk posed by processed meats is nowhere near the risk when it comes to smoking and cancer. Smoking carries a 20-fold increase in terms of risk of cancer."
"Those conducting the survey found that there might be a signal between red meat and cancer," he said.
Reuters with Staff Reporter
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