In October, 2015, 22 scientists from ten countries
met at the International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, to evaluate the
carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and
processed meat.
The Working Group assessed more than 800
epidemiological studies that investigated the
association of cancer with consumption of red meat
or processed meat in many countries.
Data on the association of red meat consumption with
colorectal cancer were available from 14 cohort
studies.
Positive associations were seen with high versus low
consumption of red meat in half of those studies,
including a cohort from ten European countries
spanning a wide range of meat consumption and other
large cohorts in Sweden and Australia.
After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated
scientific literature, the Working Group convened by
the IARC Monographs Programme classified the
consumption of red meat as probably
carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), based on limited
evidence that the consumption of red meat causes
cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence
supporting a carcinogenic effect.
This association was observed mainly for colorectal
cancer , but associations were also seen for
pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.
Red meat refers to unprocessed mammalian muscle
meat—for example, beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton,
horse, or goat meat—including minced or frozen meat;
it is usually consumed cooked.
Processed meat refers to meat that has been
transformed through salting, curing, fermentation,
smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or
improve preservation. Most processed meats contain
pork or beef, but might also contain other red
meats, poultry, offal (eg, liver), or meat
byproducts such as blood.
Red meat contains high biological-value proteins and
important micronutrients such as B vitamins, iron
(both free iron and haem iron), and zinc. The fat
content of red meat varies depending on animal
species, age, sex, breed, and feed, and the cut of
the meat.
Meat processing, such as curing and smoking, can
result in formation of carcinogenic chemicals,
including N-nitroso-compounds (NOC) and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).
Cooking improves the digestibility and palatability
of meat, but can also produce known or suspected
carcinogens, including heterocyclic aromatic amines
(HAA) and PAH. High-temperature cooking by
pan-frying, grilling, or barbecuing generally
produces the highest amounts of these chemicals.
For more information
IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer
link...
The Lancet oncology
link...
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