Eating Meat Can Lead to Increased Cancer Risk
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For all the advantages we enjoy in high-income, industrialized societies, an incredibly high cancer rate is one of the high prices we pay. Committed vegans will tell you, meat can be more than murder, for some, doubling-down on a thick, juicy steak could be suicide.

The mounting evidence is staggering. For cancers of the esophagus, lung, pancreas, stomach, colorectal, endometrium, and prostate, eating beef, pork or lamb – as well as processed meat – probably leads to increased cancer risk, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). The World Health Organization has determined that dietary factors account for at least 30 percent of all cancers in Western countries and up to 20 percent in developing countries, while studies from England and Germany show vegetarians are 40 percent less likely to develop cancer, compared to meat eaters.

And the numbers are even better for vegans, vegetarians who abstain from all animal-based products, not just meat.

For some cancers, the causative effects of meat-eating are especially high, with one Harvard study showing that meat-eaters have approximately three times the colon cancer risk, compared to people who rarely touch the stuff. A diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables is almost always recommended for these patients.

Chill the Grill
The great American pastime – putting on the chef’s hat and cooking steaks on the grill – could be one of our deadliest.

Grilling is doubly dangerous for a number of reasons. First, meat is high in animal protein and saturated fat, both bad for anyone battling high cholesterol, escalating blood pressure and heart disease. Second, the fat content of meat and other animal products increases hormone production, thus upping the risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancer.

And the final threat, and perhaps the scariest of all is that grilling or broiling meat on a grill results in fat dripping on the hot fire and producing carcinogenic compounds with names like heterocyclic amines (HCA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which are believed to increase cancer risk.

A fairly consistent association between grilled or broiled, but not fried, meat consumption and stomach cancer implies that dietary exposure to PAHs may play a role in the development of stomach cancer in humans.

Veggie Values
Almost all the studies point in the same direction: a diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains and fiber is your best defense against many forms of cancer, while meat, milk, cheese and other animal products often increase cancer risk. Fiber greatly speeds the passage of food through the colon, helping remove carcinogens.

Plant foods are also naturally low in fat and rich in antioxidants and other anti-cancer compounds. Not surprisingly, vegetarians are at the lowest risk for cancer and have a significantly reduced risk compared to meat-eaters.

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