Posted on 02/01/2006 8:45:27 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists said on Tuesday they may have found a reason why eating too much red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer.
By studying cells from volunteers eating different diets, they discovered that red meat raises levels of compounds in the large bowel, which can alter DNA and increase the likelihood of cancer.
"It is the first definite link between red meat and the very first stage in cancer," said Professor Sheila Bingham, of the Medical Research Council Dunn Nutrition Unit in Cambridge, England.
In earlier research, Bingham and her team showed there was a strong correlation between eating red and processed meat and the risk of colon cancer.
The chance of developing colorectal cancer was a third higher in people who regularly ate more than two portions of red or processed meat a day compared to someone who ate less than one portion a week.
In their latest study, published in the journal Cancer Research, the scientists studied cells from the lining of the colon from people who consumed red meat, vegetarian, high red meat or high fibre diets for 15 days.
"We looked at whether eating red meat alters the DNA of these cells," Bingham told Reuters.
They found that red meat consumption was linked to increased levels of substances called N-nitrosocompounds, which are formed in the large bowel. The compounds may stick to DNA, making it more likely to undergo mutations that increase the odds of cancer.
The DNA damage may be repaired naturally in the body, and fibre in the diet may help the process. But if it isn't, cancer can develop, Bingham said.
The scientists said the findings could help to develop a screening test for very early changes related to the disease.
Colorectal is one of the most common cancers in developed countries. More than 940,000 cases are diagnosed each year and about 492,000 people die from the illness, according to the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) in Lyon, France.
A diet rich in fat, animal protein and refined carbohydrates and lack of exercise are risk factors for the illness. Most cases are in people over 60 years old and about 5 percent of them are inherited.
Health experts estimate that about 70 percent of colorectal cancers could be prevented by changes in diet and nutrition. Diarrhoea, constipation and rectal bleeding can be symptoms.
I am sorry for the loss of your father. A reasonable diet and proper exercise does not cure anything, especially cancer. It does help us to resist diseases for a longer time, in some cases long enough to survive treatment. Realistically, it may be luck of the draw. But it is also important to have regular screening as well. Even if someone decides for themselves that they will not undergo treatment.
Finally was able to serve my family renown spaghetti and meatballs.
The ironic thing with my Dad was that he was diligent about going to Dr.'s. And you'd think with the cancers he had before, they would have found the colon cancer, if it had been there as long as they say it had been. He had a sigmoidoscopy about 6 months before he was rushed to the hospital with a bowel obstruction caused by the advanced colon cancer. Oh well.
"and drink a bit of cod liver oil throughout the day."
Ugh! May I recommend Scotch as a substitute? Same color, better flavor. :)
I use a different standard by which to judge what we were meant to eat. Does the word "ahimsa" ring a bell?
Re: I wouldn't hesitate to get a "treatment" if I had a disease that didn't respond to accepted medical procedures.
The best medicine is preventive medicine. The things I've learned since going to the chiropractor are astounding. Chiropractic first is the best medicine to keep your immune system as strong as possible.
Most of our medical problems are not uncovered until symptoms get annoying. This can take months, years or even decades. Spinal mis-alignments or subluxations usually occur during the birth process and can worsen as we age.
The 3T's of subluxations are traumas, toxins (including most drugs) and thoughts (everyday stressors). The 3 leading causes of death in the US are 1.) heart disease,
2.) cancer, and 3.) properly prescribed medication.
The things the medical community willingly stick their 'heads in the sand on' are simply astounding.
Our pediatrician maintains that putting babies on low-fat, low-cholesterol diets retards brain development. He's had problems with either vegetarian or "diet crazy" parents virtually starving their children.
It's possible to get the requisite amounts of protien from a vegetarian diet- but just barely. It requires knowledge of which combinations of foods eaten together can form amino acids, etc. Teens (and adults, for that matter) who suddenly decide to "go veggie" without doing a lot of reading on nutrition and vegetarian cooking tend to become malnourished.
One problem we 20th century humans run into is that our traditional diet is optimized for humans who are doing heavy physical work outdoors in all weather. When you're a 'cube rat/couch potato' you have to modify your diet.
I would like to add that "data" is not the plural of "anecdote." This article seems a bit muddled. They compare those eating red meat twice a day with those eating once a week; that's a fourteenfold (hah!) ratio. What about those who eat read meat about three times a week?
Feed is what food eats.
I only eat vegetarian critters. I should be okay.
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