A Hamburger A Day May Lead To A Hospital Stay ~by Dr. B.

Cattle ranches may be defensive, but studies are starting to confirm what intuitively many have believed for some time, namely: older folks who eat large amounts of red meat and processed meats may face a greater risk of heart disease and cancer. A recent study of more than half a million men and women shows increased health risks of consuming red meat like hamburger and processed meats like hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts. Classification of the risk, remains elusive as there appears to be a lack of a consensus. For example, Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute calls the risk "modest." Sinha, however, supports the advice to limit consumption of red and processed meats in order to reduce the risk of cancer.

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So how high is the risk? The study of 545,000 people (ages 50 to 71) over 10 years suggest that eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger a day raised a man's risk of dying of cancer by 22 percent. The risk of dying of heart disease similarly increased by 27 percent. For women, the increased risk was similar: 20 percent increase for cancer and 50 percent increase for heart disease. See the 3-23-09 Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study suggests that folks who eat more chicken and fish had lower risks of death. The study took into account other risk factors such as high body mass, smoking, and family history of cancer. Besides the health benefits, cutting back on consumption of red meat may decrease the number of our nations livestock which allegedly produces "greenhouse gas emissions" which are blamed for "global warming." (Yes, less farting cows means less smell and more ozone protection.)

The National Pork Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association apparently dispute the significance of the findings because it studies people who ate red meat in extreme amounts instead of average amounts. However, it seems even supporters of red meat consumption accept the proposition that most people would benefit from limiting their red meat and processed meat consumption to "reasonable amounts." Of course, what is reasonable to a beef eater and what is reasonable to a vegetarian, may vary...