Posted on 11/02/2015 10:30:21 AM PST by Kaslin
The World Health Organization is the United Nations' public-health arm. I think we should change its name to the World Killjoy Organization at least where its position on meat eating is concerned.
Last week the WHO released a report that argues that meat eating can cause cancer that colon cancer and, possibly, stomach cancer are caused by processed meats, such as ham, sausages and bacon.
Why? Because the curing and smoking process produces carcinogenic chemicals what we non-scientists refer to as flavor.
Not content to vilify bacon hey, WHO, you may as well tell us that puppies and afternoon naps are bad for us the report says unprocessed meats, such as beef and pork, may cause colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer.
I don't imagine the scientists who produced this report are invited to many barbecues and certainly not to my family's barbecues.
This summer my nephew smoked a pig in my yard. We built a make-shift block smokehouse, then spent the day setting hot coals under the dripping meat.
The aroma was so wonderful that far-away coyotes howled and total strangers wandered into my yard in a trance, a big smile on their faces as they smacked their lips.
I have a smaller smoker, too, that turns raw hunks of beef and pork into mouth-watering delicacies so tasty that even my elderly Aunt Edna, a lifelong churchgoer, cusses like an iron worker.
And there is my glorious Weber Grill, seasoned with gunk and grease from a thousand grillings. It transforms raw T-bones and pork tenderloins into gastronomic delights so satisfying, people drive miles to my house just for a sniff of the stuff.
You see, the meat products that the WHO tells us are bad for us are the same products that have been around for a long time brought to America by immigrants who had mastered them. Take the American hot dog. It originated in Germany "from a widespread common European sausage brought here by butchers of several nationalities," writes the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.
The hot dog has become an American staple with each American consuming 60 a year more than 7 billion total.
If meat eating and hot dogs are so bad for us, then we're all cooked. But are we? Well, let's put it in perspective.
First, the WHO report isn't telling us to stop eating meat it isn't in the business of making health recommendations and also admits that meat has healthful benefits. Its report is just warning us that there is “sufficient evidence†of an increased risk of cancer from the consumption of processed meat.
Second, the scientists who reviewed the report did not reach a consensus. Though a majority of the 22 scientists who reviewed the data approved it, others had differences of opinion. "The panel's conclusions were based primarily on epidemiological studies linking what people ate with cancers they developed later," writes The New York Times. "Often such studies can't prove a causal link."
Third, even if it is true that 34,000 cancer deaths annually are caused by the consumption of processed meat the link between beef and pork and cancer are not as clear that number pales in comparison to deaths caused by tobacco and booze.
According to The Times, "Tobacco smoking causes about a million cancer deaths a year worldwide; alcohol adds another 600,000 annual cancer deaths."
So what do we make of the latest be-wary-of-meat-eating study?
I'm no scientist or expert, but isn't moderation the key? My solution is to routinely eat fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken and occasionally make beef and pork feasts on the smoker.
Beyond that, what's the beef?
Bacon...must...have...bacon...
WHO can have my bacon when they pry it from my cold dead hands.
I think they have an ulterior motive and it is directly related to the UN’s position on global warming. Growing meat generates a lot of “greenhouse gasses so getting rid of meat will save the planet.
Actually drinking water and breathing air leads to death. EVERYBODY who has died ever has both breathed air and drunk water.
I bet Obama is behind this crap
So we have found that Germans, Irish and English die of cancer more than others. Chinese and other Asians die of cancer less often. You could say that processed meats cause cancer because these groups eat processed meats or... You could say that rice is the health food of the century. Or, you could say that statistically, there is no link. And these people need to take a logic class.
Yep- if you eat bacon or processed meat every day you go from a 5% chance of getting colon cancer to a 6% chance
EEEEEEEEK! Run for the hills!
Mexicans eat tons of rice. I don’t think their longetivity is so swell.
5% chance of getting colon cancer to a 6% chance
Like the Lotto
Their plans to have us all eat wheat and corn based products are starting to fall apart. The low carb movement is starting to kill companies such as General Mills and Kellogg’s. And their darling vegetable, kale is just not catching on outside of the vegans.
The rats definitely are. You can count on it.
And, not only that, but kale is best when boiled with pigmeat and served with pepper sauce.
A fitting accompaniment for some ham and pinto beans.
Its not longevity, its cancer. In fact longevity causes cancer. As people get older their likelihood of getting cancer goes up. So don’t read anything about longevity in this. If you want to live a long time you want clean food, water and air. And you want a safe environment, less war, crime or safe work environment. And of course access to antibiotics.
If bacon caused cancer the South would be an unpopulated wasteland. :-)
Or you have to eat nothing but bacon at least 3 times a day
Looks mouthwatering, doesn’t it?
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