Red alert
Earlier this year a major study found fresh evidence linking red meat to bowel cancer. Now a study of the diets and lifestyles of 218 Crohn’s patients has revealed a link between meat eating and this disease. The two-year study commissioned by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) and carried out by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) investigated whether drinking tap water increases the risk of Crohn’s disease. They concluded that there was no connection. However, a connection was made between eating meat and Crohn’s disease. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been told about the finding and is asking its food safety advisers to consider what research may be necessary to establish more firmly whether there is a link. Crohn’s Disease is a long-term illness that causes inflammation in the gut, it affects between 30,000 and 60,000 people in the UK, that’s about 1 in 1200.
An online copy of the report (7.8MB) is available from: http://dwi.defra.gov.uk/research/completed-research/reports/Crohns_Report.pdf
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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