Wed, 15 Jun 2005

Red meat 'raises risk of cancer'

OK, while this isn't quite qualify as a "Study in Stupidity" it does highlight an interesting problem with studies involving food. The problem, in a nutshell, is defining what, exactly is being studies.

I don't really doubt that this study is "true" - what I seriously doubt is that "meat" is the culprit. Why? Because humans, being biological omnivores, are "designed" to eat meat. In fact, in our dim past as hunters and gatherers, meat probably accounted for the bulk of our diet. And we still, as a species, consume a great deal of meat.

But in today's agricultural environment, we're eating a lot more than meat when we munch a steak. We're grubbing all the antibiotics, hormones and "additives" that the poor cattle are stuffed with prior to slaughter.

And as if that's not enough, we often take these contaminated meats and "process" them - adding sugars and preservatives, flash frying in hydrogenated oils and then irradiating the whole mash for better shelf life.

But when we do a study like this, it's "meat" that's the villain. Go figure.

Scientists find fresh evidence that eating lots of red and processed meat raises the risk of bowel cancer.

(link) [BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition]

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