Meat Eating and the Cancer link
News Extra Burnie Advocate Sep. 27 1997
REDUCE MEAT AND LESSEN RISK OF CANCER
LONDON (Reuter) - Cancer is preventable and eating less. meat and more fruits and vegetables could reduce cases of the disease by up to 40 p.c. a year, medical experts said yesterday.
"Dietary imbalance is a cause of cancer," Prof. Tony McMichael, of the University of London, told a news conference to launch a major report by the World Cancer Research Fund on nutrition and cancer.
'We are running the human biological engine on the wrong type of food," he added.
People should change to a more plant -based diet and meat,
if eaten at all, should be limited to less than 80 grams or one portion a day, the study, the most comprehensive on diet and cancer ever undertaken, said."Meat, at most, should he considered
as a garnish ... not the central part of the diet " said John Potter, director of the Cancer Prevention Research programme in Seattle, Washington.He said. the experts who compiled the report were convinced by several studies that the link between a meat-rich diet and the risk of bowel cancer was strong enough to justify recommending limits on meat consumption.
The WCRF report supported the findings of a British Government study, also released in part yesterday, that Suggested people should eat less meat to avoid bowl cancer.
The Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy advised people who ate 90 grams or more of meat a day to cut back their consumption. Medical experts have long suspected links between high intake of animal fat and meat and development of cancer, but the authoritative WCRF report is the first to examine food and cancer prevention from a global perspective-.
Pottor chairman of the report panel, said the manner in which meat is prepared could also be a source of risk. The study suggested meat should he well.. cooked and not charred. Grilled, cured and smoked meats should be eaten only occasionally,
Limiting alcohol consumption to two drinks a day for men and one for women, reducing sugar and salts, and doing daily exercise can also help to prevent cancer, it said." At least 20 p.c. of lung cancer, 33 P.c. of breast cancers and 66 p.c. of colon cancers are preventable by appropriate diets, "together with the associated factors of regular physical activity and maintenance of healthy body weight.
"Together with no smoking, this means that 60-70 p.c. of cancers are preventable," the report said.
Every year up to 10 million new cancer cases are diagnosed and seven million people die from the disease. Unless action is taken, experts estimate the number of new cases and deaths will rise to 14 million by the year 2020
“ Meat at most should be considered as a garnish.... Not the central part of the diet”
John Potter
Emphasis Ours