World Health Org tabs processed and red meats as carcinogenic

[Dave Longley]

Gonna need to you weigh in on this.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2...oking-says-who

[Andrew Jackson]

Jordan - any thoughts on the story blowing up today:

http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/p...fs/pr240_E.pdf

[Bolson32]

I'm sure this has been posted here at least 6 times by someone else, but in case it hasn't..I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on this.

Bacon, hot dogs and processed meats cause cancer, WHO says

In other news, I see alcohol is pretty high on that list as well. I don't think that will deter me, booze just doesn't feel nearly as bad as smoking.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

So overall, I think that this is mainly a case of mainstream media jumping on something without context and also the report is not thorough enough to explain its limitations to the public. Using a questionnaire for food recall and tying that to colorectal cancer seems troublesome to me. In addition, there is other data showing that lean red meat does not carry this risk (to be fair- there is some data showing it has a slight risk) and that eating red meat period can actually provide some preventative factors such as repleting iron stores and b12. Finally, the major risks for colorectal cancer are going to be genetic/inherited mutations, radiation exposure, obesity, alcoholism, tobacco use, possibly fiber intake, and maybe a few other things. Where does processed red meat fall on my radar? Well, if you're a non obese, active person, I think it's unlikely that there's much, if any, direct additional risk from having your bacon. Then again, that's a pretty rare person when discussing the general public too.

[Bolson32]

Cool, thank you for weighing in. Layne linked an article on his facebook page that I thought did a really good job as well.

If you'd care to share it, it's below.

Bacon Causes Cancer? Sort of. Not Really. Ish. | WIRED

Good to know my monthly 1 pot cajun pasta with Andouille Sausage isn't in jeopardy.

[mishkathegreat]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. The fact is that anything eaten exclusively in high amounts can be bad for you.

This is very early research, which can never be fully relied on. It needs to be tested in other labs and in different conditions before it becomes a 100% reliable. The experts in the article themselves say its a small risk IF it does prove to exist.

[mishkathegreat]

This is very early for them to make it official in a UN report. These things need to be researched in different locations and conditions for several years, before it can be declared with complete certainty to be a carcinogen. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The fact is, anything taken exclusively in large amounts can be bad for you... even water!

[Elephant]

Here's a good take from a doctor who regularly reports on healthcare issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOVBOwbqcT8

He agrees with you that there's unlikely to be much additional risk, including by citing the underlying research.

[Paul1]

Risk factors aside a bigger problem is patients' failure to get screened (and doctors' failure to push screening). This is a major problem in the African-American community. I think that the infrequency of screening (every 10 years) makes it just fall off people's priority lists.

If (as it should) virtual colonoscopy eventually supplants invasive colonoscopy, that will remove several major barrier to screening (difficulty scheduling the procedure, requirement for sedation and arranging a ride home, rare but real complications of colonoscopy like perforation, and general patient distaste at the thought of getting a colonoscopy).

Also, we're probably going to find that high fiber diets and a baby aspirin are going to produce a lion's share of benefit for preventing colon cancer. I'm sure someone has modeled this.

[George Christiansen]

In what way would fiber intake increase risk? Too much time on the throne or not enough?