Now that we know red meat and processed meat cause cancer, are you gonna stop eating them?

[brain5000]

Today the World Health Organization announced their finding. Processed meats like hot dogs and sausages are as bad as smoking, they said. Red meats aren't quite as dangerous but they are as bad as lead. Will you stop eating them now? Zero points if you had already stopped before.

No more carcinogens in my diet! BEGONE!

Nothing is going to change.

Not sure.

I will change things but not eliminate them. See my comment...

Updates

+1 y

Before you post something along the lines of "everything causes cancer," remember that not everything causes cancer. For example, organic vegetables do not.

This doesn't mean you have to stop eating meat and become vegetarian; you are still allowed to eat meat if that's your preference. There are plenty of people who derive so much pleasure from meat that their quality of life would decline without it. It's okay, just be honest. There is already too much BS in the world. kthnx

[meowcow]

No, the media has severely misinterpreted the study findings, leading to the public believing in something that is totally incorrect. I am a toxicologist, and I'll explain what the findings REALLY mean.

Scientists have known for decades that cured meat and red meat increases the risk of cancer. For cured meat, it is the chemical preservative called Nitrosamine that is carcinogenic. Since processed meats all have nitrosamine, it means they contain carcinogens. This is the reason why processed meats are now classified as a Class I carcinogen.

The media screwed up their understanding by thinking that being classified as a Class I carcinogen means you'll get cancer from eating processed meat. The question you should be asking is "how potent is the cancer causing effect?". There are hundreds of chemicals classified as carcinogenic, but they do not have the same potency. In lab studies, we have found that the artificial sweetener Aspartame is carcinogenic. Why then do you find it in all the diet soft drinks, sugar-free gums and candies? The reason is that the average person would need to consume 20 kg of aspartame DAILY for 60 years for a high chance of developing cancer. This means that aspartame is an extremely weak carcinogen. In contrast, some chemicals are extremely powerful carcinogens, and even tiny exposures can cause cancer in the long term. All are classified as carcinogens, but many - including nitrosamines - are extremely weak carcinogens.

It's also interesting to note that your body also synthesizes nitrosamines in your saliva. Yes that's right. The same chemical that has caused processed meat to be classified as a carcinogen is also naturally produced from your body. Do we not start saying that your saliva is carcinogenic? No of course not. That's ridiculous - and so is the way that the public has absorbed this misinformation.

Lastly, the study indicated that people who eat some 50g of processed meat have an 18% higher chance of developing certain stomach and gastrointestinal cancers. There are actually 200 different types of cancer, and the probability of getting gastrointestinal cancer may be 1 in 5000 individuals over a lifetime. An 18% increase means 1.18 in 5000 individuals. That's not really a whole lot, and the findings are probably messed up due to personal diet variations and lifestyle among the study participants.

A quick online ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosamine

[brain5000]

I am surprised you didn't get more upvotes on this post. It's interesting information consistent with an article I read on WebMD about this topic. Thanks! I think the lesson to be learned might be moderation. When my dad was a kid, he used to have meat with every meal, or at least once or twice a day. The more we learn about nutrition and health, that practice may decline. Thanks for the interesting info!!!

[Whoooooooooo]

Perhaps the push I needed to become a vegetarian. But I do love my processed meat sigh.

[brain5000]

I am right there with you buddy. You are in the running for MHO. :)

[brain5000]

I am a weightlifter, and the boost I get from red meat is more valuable (healthy?) than that of beans and nuts. It doesn't look like eating meat is a major health risk, so I will likely moderate my meat intake greatly but not go veggie.

[Whoooooooooo]

Perhaps you're right. The risk is still low as long as you don't intake too much processed meat which has a lot of chemicals in it to keep it stable. That's why frankfurters can last for a month while normal meat goes bad in few days lol. Personally I am not looking to bulk up so I could easily go vegetarian on paper, but meat is fucking tasty xD

[brain5000]

I suspect I might deplete the existing supply of processed meat and never go with that again.

[Whoooooooooo]

Even before it was known that it causes cancer people still knew it was bad for you. But when you think about it, what's not bad for you lol? Nowadays everything is more or less processed except vegetables :p which is why I think moderate intake is still reasonable.

[brain5000]

A filet or steak isn't processed.

[Whoooooooooo]

Ever heard of meat glue? You might find this video interesting.

https://youtu.be/hXXrB3rz-xU

[Anonymous]

It seems like everything is going to kill you at some point. First it was fat, then it was carbs, then it was sugar, now red meat?
I understand these things aren't healthy in excess- clearly.
However, if you eat a healthy BALANCED diet, you don't need to boycott these foods to stay healthy...

[brain5000]

Not sure if you mean to infer that eating a sprig of broccoli is going to cancel that sausage, but I don't think it works that away.

[Opinion Owner]

No I mean if you eat healthily and have the right proportions of each food group, you shouldn't need to boycott a certain group of foods.

[CheerGirl38139]

It won't change what I do really. Besides, they usually recant these types of early findings somewhere down the road. Some other study will eventually come out saying this one is flawed.

[brain5000]

I thought of that too. This time, though, the news is that the WHO endorsed it. Apparently some have known this for years.

[BertMacklinFBI]

I'm still going to enjoy my occasional cheeseburger.

[NearlyNapping]

No, it won't affect me at all. Not even a little bit. I'm not going to go through my life living in a bubble, being a germaphobe, afraid to touch anything, afraid to do anything, afraid to eat anything, afraid to breath the air, afraid to drive a car or ride on a plane.

That's not living. I'd rather die of cancer than to not live at all because I'm paranoid of every little thing. Every single day when I wake up I know I might be dead before the end of the day. But I get up anyway and do whatever the hell I want.

I've survived hundreds of cancer scares. I've survived the cholesterol scare, I've survived the evil egg scare, I've survived the carb scare, I've survived the fat scare, I've survived the pollution scare, I've survived the global warming scare, I've survived the jogging scare, I've survived the sedentary life style scare. I could list ten times that many scares I've survived in my life time. I don't give a shit about all the hundreds of ways I can die. I'll just live the way I want and not worry about all that.

[brain5000]

Age 44 is not what I would call "surviving" all of those scares. Let's see what you say when you are 50, then 60.

[NearlyNapping]

I'm 59. And I've survived a heck of a lot more than what I listed, including things a lot more dangerous than what I listed.

The point is that there are thousands of things that can kill you. I've been hearing health scares forever. Every few years there is a big one that large numbers of people react to and go on some fad diet or fad lifestyle. Then after a few more years that fad fades away and a new fad starts. It's a predictable cycle. Then half the time, the health scare turned out or be wrong in the first place. Whatever was demonized, suddenly is discovered to not be as bad as originally thought.

People tend to be super reactionary about this kind of thing. Far too many people live their lives in paranoia.

[brain5000]

I agree with you that health scares are all too often repudiated later, which probably has made many skeptical of all of them, and perhaps rightly so. Looks like this isn't really new information, though. People have known of the cancer link for years; it was just now adopted by WHO.

Why would you say you're 44 on this site? Seems odd.

[NearlyNapping]

I checked into it. Just as I thought. This appears to be typical media attention taken out of context and greatly exaggerated. The World Health Organization only shows a slight link between processed meat and cancer. It only accounts for a fraction of a percent of cancers.

Concern about nitrates and nitrites has been around for a long time. I've known about that for at least 30 years, probably much longer. I didn't read enough of this latest report to find out, but I suspect it's about the nitrates / nitrites.

[Anonymous]

Nope. Still gonna eat my medium rare steak. I worked in a research lab that studied senescence in college. Senescence is pretty much the negative effects on the body that occur during aging. I don't have enough space to get into the details of the current running hypothesis but a really crude summary of one of them is that we slowly die because we eat. Doesn't matter what it is we're eating. The simple process of consuming nutrients is both necessary for living and may be a big part of what kills us. After learning that along with a few other theories about why we age (because not all organisms do) I came to the conclusion that removing the things I enjoy from my life simply to make it last longer was no longer desirable for me. The truth is I could live perfect and still die young simply due to my genetics. So I eat cake candy and doughnuts in moderation and bacon and butter whenever I want too. I can run a mile with relative ease and have never lost my abs despite never being on a regular gym routine. Reducing stress, reducing time spent sitting, and laughing is all I've ever needed.

[Goforit1010]

If God didn't want me to eat meat, then why did He put the wrong kind of teeth in my mouth? We have incisors for cutting and molars for grinding food. We humans are omnivores, with our entire digestive system designed to handle ALL types of foods - including meat. So nothing's going to change with me.

What I absolutely dislike is what a couple people have said - that some farmers stuff steroids and hormones into their animals, all in the name of making them heavier. Animals are sold by weight. I'd rather see healthy animals being slaughtered for food instead of animals injected with hormones and steroids and given food to eat laced with chemicals unfit for human ingestion. We have a Federal system (in the US it's called the FDA) "supposedly" providing oversight to that process. If you think meat is a problem, you haven't done enough research.

[brain5000]

There are some who might dispute your claim that we are evolved in to carnivores (?). It may well be true our bodies have adapted to/evolved that way, but we don't necessarily have to eat meat. It is a choice, it doesn't seem right to assert it is our natural state of being. However, if you really enjoy meat, and find it worth some risk, then I wish you good health, my friend!

[madhatters4]

no I probably won't stop. I may eat less but obviously millions upon billions of people have spent a lifetime eating hot dogs and sausages without getting cancer

I may eat less but I doubt i'll stop

another issue I have is that the thing that causes cancer this year they may say helps avoid cancer. I mean how many times did we hear them say coffee can cause cancer, only for them to turn around and say it has anti-oxidants and can help prevent cancer.

so me I believe in a life of educated moderation. I eat hot dogs maybe once a month so i'll prob continue at that rate unless more info comes out

[Bimbobambo]

I never ate much meat. 3 days a week we have something that died on our plate. A Beef day, a chicken day and a fish day. The other 4 days are vegetarian. And never processed meat, always filets or steaks. First of all, this way eating something that gave its life feels special and isn't just like whatevs. Second of all, if everyone would do that we wouldn't need factory farming because we dont need that much meat and could give a happier life to the animals before we eat them.

[brain5000]

Nice to see that you respect the life that was given that you might eat, sir! However, I hope you aren't eating living things off your plate! At least pick the veggies before you eat them, they need to be washed! :P

[Bimbobambo]

Hahaha! 😂 No.. Im not that strange..

[Mesonfielde]

Hungarian cuisine, out the window!

Screw that, I just hope I won't have doctors mess up their procedures again and make MY bowels stick out my stomach too.

[brain5000]

Not sure what that means, but … that's okay, I don't think I want to know. Thanks! :)

[Lolomon]

The question is what if the government going to do. Will they end the unhumane handling of animals and shooting them up with estrogen, testosterone, only feeding them corn and encouraging and supporting organic farms where animals live well and happily. also, America eats too much meat we need more vegetables in our diet

[brain5000]

Interesting question. I look forward to finding out along with you. Note that there is an enormous meat industry with its own army of lobbyists and lawyers, and cigarettes are still around...

[Lolomon]

Yea, but just like everything the government controls everything, they are capable of much more than they lead on

[brain5000]

Yep. They have the way. Question is "do they have the will?"

[thewanderingme]

HA! they don't live happily on organic farms. many farms that like to call themselves free range still keep them in little cages, the only real difference is they're not locked in place, they get to "freely" roam their cages.

[Xonen]

Honestly, there is few common foods in the American diet that wouldn't lead to cancer through chronic consumption. The truth is, most Americans are aware that they will one day be immobile and plagued by disease and hospital bills; they just don't care.

[brain5000]

Organic veggies still seem okay as far as I know.

[Xonen]

Definitely, but I don't count those as common foods. Generally, people who eat organic veggies are conscious of their health and are making decisions to directly improve their lif expectancy.

[brain5000]

You seem to imply that "common foods" = "100% unhealthy food choices"

[Xonen]

Ehh kind of 😂. By common foods I mean things you'd find in the typical American diet. By that I mean just any of the most consumed American foods that were chosen for their taste or monetary value, rather than nutritional value.

[AdamThomas]

Nothing will change. Many scientists have hit back at these claims and there's a lot of bogus science these days used to serve certain agendas so I don't automatically believe it. I don't follow most mainstream diet advice anyway since most of it is pro-estrogenic and anti-tesosterone, modern men have much lower testosterone levels than men of older generations and I think that's the main cause.

[Anonymous]

It is not as cancerous as smoking. That is just the media using scare tactics to get attention. The chances of getting cancer from processed meats is much lower than getting cancer from cigarettes

[brain5000]

I read this later on too. Cigarettes are just in the same class as meat, meaning they are known carcinogens, nothing vague about it. Does not speak to the likelihood of one causing cancer over another.

[moistycakes]

I've never been a fan of hot dogs or processed meat anyway, and steak I probably only eat once every few months. But no I'm not going to stop, pretty much everything bloody causes something bad nowadays.

[jacquesvol]

If I was 40 years younger, I'd pay attention to it.

Cancer doesn't happen in a week. I think I'll die from other things before getting cancer or that the cancer is already developing from older habits.

[lumos]

Nothing is going to change. If I get cancer, I doubt red meat will be the leading cause. I'm pretty sure I'll get lung cancer from pollution before getting cancer due to red meat.

[bluenose1872]

I knew about this years ago. This isn't just discovered by the scientific community. What do they withhold information from the public? Any synthetic chemicals can cause cancer because they don't react with the metabolism. It would amaze you how many dangerous foods there are out there that we consume daily. It's saturated fats that cause the most problems. Your body can't do anything with them.

[fondue]

No. I love steak and I love ham and bacon. And I think the risk was only an increased 1-3% or something. I'll probably try eating more fruits and vegetables I guess but I'm not gonna stop.

[meatballs21]

Next week, they'll discover a vital nutrient that helps reduce your chances of something else.

Everything in moderation, but enjoy yourself because it's later than you think.

[DivaMonae]

No not really... I only eat it ocassionally and I'm going to continue to do it.

[TheDevilInside]

What DOESN'T cause cancer? Life is short. Even if you get to extend it for 5 more years by eating "healthy", it's still short. So Live a little.

[brain5000]

Organic vegetables still seem okay, just saying.

[TheDevilInside]

Oh, you're one of THOSE people... Like i said... Live a little.

[brain5000]

I don't know, I don't really find stupid damaging things exciting or fun. not saying I don't understand your point, I just don't understand your point.

Analogy might be: roller coasters are kind of scary, but also exciting and harmless. Rides that spin you around can be less exciting but fun until you get dizzy and puke. After that you stop going on the spinning ride. Or at least I did.

[TheDevilInside]

Yea See? I never got dizzy.

[brain5000]

Maybe we went on different spinning rides?

[TheDevilInside]

Maybe i'm just not that uptight?

[brain5000]

Haha you think I got dizzy and puked because of an emotional response to a ride? Now I know we didn't go on the same ride.

I'm just uptight - and smart - enough not to put poison in my body. It is a self-esteem thing I guess.

[TheDevilInside]

Yet you're not smart enough to know to never push your beliefs to other people. This is what makes US hate you vegetarians and vegans. If you'd just eat your own thing and shit up and letus eat whatever it is we want, you people would get less hate. Just saying. It's annoying

[brain5000]

I wouldn't have called myself a vegetarian until today, and I still intend to deplete existing supply. The reason we're arguing is you started your comment with the rhetorical question "what DOESN'T cause cancer?" and I felt bound to offer an answer, because this is a help board, after all. :)

I realize it is frustrating news, but to behave as though there are no alternatives isn't an honest response. There is one guy on here who posted a comment to the effect that he's going to continue to eat meat, he doesn't care. At least he was honest about it, I didn't give him any crap at all. Zero.

[TheDevilInside]

I will continue eat meat

[LorcaNovena]

Nope, I like picking up a nice sirloin steak with bare hands as it is dripping with fat and blood and tearing into it in a rather aggressive manner.

[MissNowhere]

One more reason why it's a good thing I'm vegetarian...

[Anonymous]

Joe Jackson said it best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oDAkmfoAgA

[Anonymous]

Natural foods are not in two categories: okay in unlimited and bad. Most natural foods are good for you in the right quantities, bad for you if overeaten.

Red meat included.

[Abigail1711]

Screw that, I'll eat whatever I want to lol. EVERYTHING we eat is cancerious at some point. Even those food which have "healthy food" label on it.
Besides, we're all gonna die one day anyway. Enjoy your life to the fullest.

[Anonymous]

Being chained to my desk 10+ hours a day is going to destroy my body anyway. I'm going to have burgers, brats, beer and whiskey now and then.

[brain5000]

Nooo! BREAK THE CHAINS THAT BIND YOU.

[Vakarian]

I am happily vegetarian already. It's not just that it's not healthy in the way we consume meat but also the way it's produced, the animals are handled and the effect it has on our enviroment.

[OlderAndWiser]

WHO is a political organization with an agenda. It is not a neutral arbiter of scientific knowledge and I will not listen to them on any topic.

[RedThread]

I've already been strongly considering going vegetarian lately lol

[Anonymous]

What are red meats?

I have already stopped eating hot dogs and such for a while now.❤

[Bysshe]

Red meats are flesh from mammals. Poultry and fish are white meats.

[Opinion Owner]

So chicken is considered red meat?✌❤

[SensualScribe]

Poultry is white meat. Chicken is poultry, so no. Chicken is not red meat.

[Opinion Owner]

Thank you ❤

[AngryHorny]

I already knew this, and that shit is already out of my diet.

[9mfeo]

I don't eat sausages anyway and I am so severely anaemic that I need red meat.

[F1Mad39]

If we took notice of everything they said we shouldn't eat we'd either die of boredom or starvation!

[apexalpha]

I will cut down on them but thats old news for me didn't need verification from the WHO

[Anonymous]

Nothing is gonna change. I already knew meat was bad for you. They pump up the shit out of those poor animals with hormones and shit.

[brain5000]

That's not why meat is cancerous. You can get meat that has no hormones and shit and it's still bad for you.

[jakeofalltrades]

I am not going to change a thing. plus what doesn't give you cancer anymore

[Anonymous]

I'm a vegetarian anyway ;)

[brain5000]

Yeah, I feel regretful I didn't include a poll option for vegetarians. Sorry buddy. ;)

[Opinion Owner]

It's ok buddy :P

[BreatheMe19]

I stopped eating red meat a while ago.

[4465loveyou5577]

Was already not eating meat before I knew that :)

[homper87]

I've known this and don't eat them.

[lanternhill]

I try to avoid processed foods in general.

[thewanderingme]

this here. processed anything is seriously toxic to the body.

[Surfofthenomad]

Eh, I eat mostly poultry anyways...

[Waffles731]

Ah the WHO telling everyone shit we already knew

[Waffles731]

No I will nt

[iloveyoursmile]

nah probably won't stop eating them

[Anonymous]

I voted B - I already don't eat meat.

[dudeman]

nahh because those studies conclusions are flawed.