More red alerts…

A large US study looking at the diet and health of around half a million men and women revealed that those who ate the most red meat had a 20-60 per cent higher risk for oesophageal, colorectal, liver and lung cancer compared to those who ate the least. People who ate the most processed meat had a 20 per cent higher risk for bowel cancer and a 16 per cent higher risk for lung cancer.

and more…

In another article in the same issue of PLoS Medicine the authors list a wide list of compounds found in red and processed meats that may be responsible for the link with cancer. These include carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances such as N-nitroso compounds, heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – eek! Other harmful compounds found in meat include salts, haeme iron, saturated fat and oestrogen. These may all promote the development of cancer.

_{Cross AJ, Leitzmann MF, Gail MH, Hollenbeck AR, Schatzkin A, Sinha R. 2007. A prospective study of red and processed meat intake in relation to cancer risk. PLoS Medicine. 4 (12) e325.}

_{Genkinger JM, Koushik A. 2007. Meat consumption and cancer risk. PLoS Medicine. 4 (12) e345.}