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“Men dig their graves with their own teeth and die more by those fated instruments than the weapons of their enemies.”  -Thomas Moffett, Health’s Improvement, 1600 AD

Many health experts remind us not to eat “too much” meat. When deciding how much is “too much,” consider these facts:

Eating more than 3-5 ounces of meat per day significantly increases the risk of death due to cancer or heart disease.

Eating more than 1.5 ounces of processed meat per day (such as hot dogs and lunch meat) significantly increases the risk of death due to cancer or heart disease.

A 3-ounce serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. Simply eating a roast beef sandwich for lunch and a burger or hot dog for dinner will put you over the daily limit for meat intake that research tells us will increase your risk of cancer, heart disease, and death.

According to the World Health Organization, up to 40 percent of all cancers are preventable, and according the American Cancer Society, one-third of all cancer deaths in the US can be attributed to nutritional factors.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says, “Vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to get cancer than non-vegetarians, regardless of other risks such as smoking, body size, and socioeconomic status.”

An 11-year-long German study involving more than 800 vegetarian men found their cancer rates were less than half those of the general public.

Meat is devoid of fiber and other nutrients that have a protective effect against cancer. Meat also contains animal protein, saturated fat, and, in some cases, carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines (HCA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) formed during the processing or cooking of meat.

The high fat content of meat and other animal products increases hormone production, thus increasing the risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancer.

Breast Cancer

A 2007 study of more than 35,000 women published in the British Journal of Cancer found that women who ate the most meat were more likely to develop breast cancer than women who consumed the lowest amount of meat.

Countries with a higher intake of fat, especially fat from animal products, such as meat and dairy products, have a higher incidence of breast cancer.

Harvard researchers recently conducted a prospective analysis of 90,655 premenopausal women, ages 26 to 46, and determined that intake of animal fat, especially from red meat and high-fat dairy products, during premenopausal years is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Prostate Cancer

A man’s intake of dietary fat, which is abundant in meat and other animal products, increases testosterone production, which in turn increases prostate cancer risk.

At Harvard University, an analysis of almost 15,000 male physicians found that men who consumed red meat at least five times per week had a relative risk of 2.5 for developing prostate cancer compared to men who ate red meat less than once per week.

Colon Cancer

Harvard studies showed that daily meat eaters have approximately three times the colon cancer risk, compared to those who rarely eat meat.

At Harvard, a review of 32 case-control and 13 cohort studies concluded that meat consumption is associated with an increase in colorectal cancer risk, with the association being more consistently found with red meat and processed meat.

In the recently published Cancer Prevention Study II, involving 148,610 adults followed since 1982, the group with the highest red meat and processed meat intakes had approximately 30 to 40 percent and 50 percent higher colon cancer risk, respectively, compared to those with lower intakes. In this study, high red meat intake was defined as 3 ounces of beef, lamb, or pork for men and 2 ounces for women daily, the amount in a typical hamburger. High processed meat intake (ham, cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon, sausage) was defined as 1 ounce eaten 5 or 6 times a week for men, and 2 or 3 times a week for women—the amount in one slice of ham.

Studies have also indicated that those consuming white meat, particularly chicken, have approximately a threefold higher colon cancer risk, compared to vegetarians.

Other Cancers

Although not as extensively studied as breast, colon, and prostate cancer risk, a number of studies have concluded that meat consumption may play a significant role in kidney and pancreatic cancer risk.

A prospective study in Japan found that people consuming meat daily had higher death rates from kidney cancer than those eating meat less frequently.

Pancreatic cancer is relatively uncommon, yet it is frequently fatal, with fewer than 20 percent of cases surviving for one full year. Daily meat intake has been shown to be associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk in a number of studies.

It seems that with every bite of meat, we increase our risk of cancer.

Two themes consistently emerge from studies of cancer : vegetables and fruits help to reduce risk, while meat and animal products are frequently found to increase risk.

Luckily, we can eliminate animal products from our diets and replace them with vegetable proteins that can protect our health instead of harm it. Vegan diets maximize the foods that help us fight cancer (like fiber-packed grains and beans, and phytochemical-packed fruits and vegetables) and minimize the foods that cause cancer.

For more information, see what these organizations have to say about meat’s link to cancer:
The Cancer Project
The American Cancer Society
The British Journal of Cancer
The American Association for Cancer Research
____________________
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: General Tso’s Bean Curd
Dinner: Tacos with meatless crumbles, cilantro, soy cheese and salsa

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