Today’s headlines may send you running for the lentils, but first, beware of the spin. The latest study demonising red meat is not nearly as definitive as it first seems.
The study in question analysed data from 88,803 premenopausal women (aged 26 to 45) taking part in the Nurses’ Health Study II who completed a questionnaire on diet in 1991.
Number crunching estimated that those with higher meat consumption had a higher incidence of breast cancer. And then makes a huge leap to ‘red meat causes cancer’.
Really?
As Dr John Briffa explains here, population studies (epidemiology) merely show an association between two variables. They do not, and cannot, imply causation. As Dr Briffa explains, watching TV may be associated with heart disease. But you would be crazy to suggest that watching TV causes heart disease.
Same here. This study cannot predict that red meat causes cancer. It merely notes an association.
So if there is an association, is that not good enough to avoid red meat at all costs? Absolutely not. Because there is no differentiation between the quality and the context of the red meat eaten.
Take for instance the large proportion of red meat eaten as burgers. Most typically, this is accompanied by a white bun, fries and a large cola. This is a highly pro-inflammatory ‘junk food’ diet which is most definitely linked to chronic disease, cancer and heart disease included. Indeed one study shows that such a diet induced “a significantly more prolonged and greater oxidative and inflammatory stress” within hours of eating (1). This is very bad news for health. We all intuitively know this, but sales of junk food are a massive business.
Contrast a well sourced piece of steak with salad, or beef shin casseroled with root vegetables. Such culinary choices are positively teaming with health. I evidence this from my own practice, where health can be seen to blossom when people switch to a natural foods diet which often includes red meat, poultry, fish and pulses as protein sources.
Today’s headlines are good news for the junk food producers, who benefit the most when people are confused about diet. If the things you thought were good for you aren’t, you might just as well have another pizza. Don’t fall for it. Health is always better with a real food diet.
Jenny Phillips is an AntiCancer wellness coach focussing in a nutritional approach. She recovered herself from cancer in 2003 and now works with people to promote health recovery and prevention. With a science background, her particular expertise is in functional testing to establish underlying nutritional imbalances.
(1) Patel C et al. Prolonged reactive oxygen species generation and nuclear factor-kappaB activation after a high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal in the obese. J ClinEndocrinolMetab. 2007 Nov;92(11):4476-9
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