WHO: Processed Meat Causes Cancer

[_Kevin Graham]

Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat

[_subgenius]

hey, let's start a list of carcinogenics:
Gasoline
Smelting byproducts
Alloys
Electrical and semiconductor devices
Medications (e.g. melarsoprol)
Herbicides
Fungicides
Animal dips
Drinking water from contaminated aquifers.
Asbestos
Roofing papers
Floor tiles
Fire-resistant textiles
Friction linings (only outside Europe)
Replacement friction linings for automobiles still may contain asbestos
Benzene
Light fuel oil
Paint
Rubber
Dry cleaning
Adhesives
Coatings
Detergents
Beryllium and its compounds
Missile fuel
Lightweight alloys
Cadmium and its compounds
Yellow pigments
Phosphors
Solders
Batteries
Metal paintings and coatings
Hexavalent chromium(VI) compounds
Paints
Pigments
Preservatives
IC engine exhaust gas
Exhaust gas from engines
Ethylene oxide
Ripening agent for fruits and nuts
Rocket propellant
Fumigant for foodstuffs and textiles
Sterilant for hospital equipment
Nickel
Nickel plating
Ferrous alloys
Ceramics
Batteries
Stainless-steel welding byproducts
Radon and its decay products
Uranium decay
Quarries and mines
Cellars and poorly ventilated places
Vinyl chloride
Refrigerant
Production of polyvinyl chloride
Adhesive for plastics
work that involves circadian disruption
Involuntary smoking (Passive smoking)
Nuclear fuel processing
Radium dial manufacturing
Alcohol
UV rays

Ok, let's get a little more comprehensive:

Acetaldehyde (from consuming alcoholic beverages)
Acheson process, occupational exposure associated with
Acid mists, strong inorganic
Aflatoxins
Alcoholic beverages
Aluminum production
4-Aminobiphenyl
Areca nut
Aristolochic acid (and plants containing it)
Arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds
Asbestos (all forms) and mineral substances (such as talc or vermiculite) that contain asbestos
Auramine production
Azathioprine
Benzene
Benzidine and dyes metabolized to benzidine
Benzo[a]pyrene
Beryllium and beryllium compounds
Betel quid, with or without tobacco
Bis(chloromethyl)ether and chloromethyl methyl ether (technical-grade)
Busulfan
1,3-Butadiene
Cadmium and cadmium compounds
Chlorambucil
Chlornaphazine
Chromium (VI) compounds
Clonorchis sinensis (infection with), also known as the Chinese liver fluke
Coal, indoor emissions from household combustion
Coal gasification
Coal-tar distillation
Coal-tar pitch
Coke production
Cyclophosphamide
Cyclosporine
1,2-Dichloropropane
Diethylstilbestrol
Engine exhaust, diesel
Epstein-Barr virus (infection with)
Erionite
Estrogen postmenopausal therapy
Estrogen-progestogen postmenopausal therapy (combined)
Estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives (combined) (Note: There is also convincing evidence in humans that these agents confer a protective effect against cancer in the endometrium and ovary)
Ethanol in alcoholic beverages
Ethylene oxide
Etoposide
Etoposide in combination with cisplatin and bleomycin
Fission products, including strontium-90
Fluoro-edenite fibrous amphibole
Formaldehyde
Haematite mining (underground)
Helicobacter pylori (infection with)
Hepatitis B virus (chronic infection with)
Hepatitis C virus (chronic infection with)
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) (infection with)
Human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 (infection with) (Note: The HPV types that have been classified as carcinogenic to humans can differ by an order of magnitude in risk for cervical cancer)
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) (infection with)
Ionizing radiation (all types)
Iron and steel founding (workplace exposure)
Isopropyl alcohol manufacture using strong acids
Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) (infection with)
Leather dust
Magenta production
Melphalan
Methoxsalen (8-methoxypsoralen) plus ultraviolet A radiation, also known as PUVA
4,4'-Methylenebis(chloroaniline) (MOCA)
Mineral oils, untreated or mildly treated
MOPP and other combined chemotherapy including alkylating agents
2-Naphthylamine
Neutron radiation
Nickel compounds
N'-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(N-Nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)
Opisthorchis viverrini (infection with), also known as the Southeast Asian liver fluke
Outdoor air pollution and the particulate matter in it
Painter (workplace exposure as a)
3,4,5,3',4'-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-126)
2,3,4,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzofuran
Phenacetin (and mixtures containing it)
Phosphorus-32, as phosphate
Plutonium
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin-like, with a Toxicity Equivalency Factor according to WHO (PCBs 77, 81, 105, 114, 118, 123, 126, 156, 157, 167, 169, 189)
Radioiodines, including iodine-131
Radionuclides, alpha-particle-emitting, internally deposited (Note: Specific radionuclides for which there is sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity to humans are also listed individually as Group 1 agents)
Radionuclides, beta-particle-emitting, internally deposited (Note: Specific radionuclides for which there is sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity to humans are also listed individually as Group 1 agents)
Radium-224 and its decay products
Radium-226 and its decay products
Radium-228 and its decay products
Radon-222 and its decay products
Rubber manufacturing industry
Salted fish (Chinese-style)
Schistosoma haematobium (infection with)
Semustine (methyl-CCNU)
Shale oils
Silica dust, crystalline, in the form of quartz or cristobalite
Solar radiation
Soot (as found in workplace exposure of chimney sweeps)
Sulfur mustard
Tamoxifen (Note: There is also conclusive evidence that tamoxifen reduces the risk of contralateral breast cancer in breast cancer patients)
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin
Thiotepa
Thorium-232 and its decay products
Tobacco, smokeless
Tobacco smoke, secondhand
Tobacco smoking
ortho-Toluidine
Treosulfan
Trichloroethylene
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, including UVA, UVB, and UVC rays
Ultraviolet-emitting tanning devices
Vinyl chloride
Wood dust
X- and Gamma-radiation

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercaus ... arcinogens

[_EAllusion]

People have a hard time appreciating the WHO's carcinogen categories and what they mean in terms of risk.

Red an processed meat was moved into the "probably increases cancer risk" category. The question people should be worried about, which the WHO also gives some limited information on, is "by how much and under what circumstances?"

In this case, the answer is something to the effect of, "If you eat a lot of red/processed meat, then it is more likely than not you've increased your lifetime risk of certain cancers (notably colon) a little."

[_moksha]

Excellent stuff sugenius. Which ones might be cost affordable meat additives? Anything on that list that is discarded would help the meat processors bottom line. Pinch a penny and in twenty years you will have a lot of dough (provided it has not been tainted with the same meat products) to enjoy.

[_DarkHelmet]

Wow, this supports the Word of Wisdom where it says to eat meat sparingly. Too bad Mormons completely ignore that part, and focus on things that aren't in the Word of Wisdom, like coffee and tea.

[_Quasimodo]

Wow, this supports the Word of Wisdom where it says to eat meat sparingly. Too bad Mormons completely ignore that part, and focus on things that aren't in the Word of Wisdom, like coffee and tea.

Gotta stick with Wonder Bread and ice cream to please the Lord. Jello with marshmallows works good, too.

It's all about carbs and processed sugar. Remember, eating lots of refined sugar will get you to the Celestial Kingdom that much quicker.

[_Res Ipsa]

People have a hard time appreciating the WHO's carcinogen categories and what they mean in terms of risk.

Red an processed meat was moved into the "probably increases cancer risk" category. The question people should be worried about, which the WHO also gives some limited information on, is "by how much and under what circumstances?"

In this case, the answer is something to the effect of, "If you eat a lot of red/processed meat, then it is more likely than not you've increased your lifetime risk of certain cancers (notably colon) a little."

Actually, I think that "processed meat" was placed in the highest category, "causes cancer." Red meat was placed in "probably causes cancer."

Next up.... coffee.

ETA: I thought this blog author summed it up pretty well. http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org ... d-to-know/

[_Some Schmo]

Yeah, I've been cutting back on meat these last few years. I'd heard something similar about deli meat a few years ago (packed with nitrates) and tried to cut back. It's just so damn tasty.

But meat does always make me feel a little sluggish, so sticking to more fruits/veggies/nuts usually makes me feel better about life. I'm no vegetarian; tried it once and couldn't last more than a few days. But ya know... moderation. I prefer white meat anyway.

[_Themis]

People have a hard time appreciating the WHO's carcinogen categories and what they mean in terms of risk.

Red an processed meat was moved into the "probably increases cancer risk" category. The question people should be worried about, which the WHO also gives some limited information on, is "by how much and under what circumstances?"

In this case, the answer is something to the effect of, "If you eat a lot of red/processed meat, then it is more likely than not you've increased your lifetime risk of certain cancers (notably colon) a little."

Actually, I think that "processed meat" was placed in the highest category, "causes cancer." Red meat was placed in "probably causes cancer."

Next up.... coffee.

ETA: I thought this blog author summed it up pretty well. http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org ... d-to-know/

It's like the author said that this is not really new information. We have known this for a while, and most should know red meat should not be eaten in excess for other reasons then cancer.

[_EAllusion]

People have a hard time appreciating the WHO's carcinogen categories and what they mean in terms of risk.

Red an processed meat was moved into the "probably increases cancer risk" category. The question people should be worried about, which the WHO also gives some limited information on, is "by how much and under what circumstances?"

In this case, the answer is something to the effect of, "If you eat a lot of red/processed meat, then it is more likely than not you've increased your lifetime risk of certain cancers (notably colon) a little."

Actually, I think that "processed meat" was placed in the highest category, "causes cancer." Red meat was placed in "probably causes cancer."

Next up.... coffee.

ETA: I thought this blog author summed it up pretty well. http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org ... d-to-know/

Yep. You're right. I initially read a summary article that lumped the two together, but that's not the case. Your link is quite good in explaining the issue. One thing it doesn't note is that the WHO's statement uses a very broad definition of "processed" meat and it almost certainly the case that there is variance within that category. A hotdog might be worse than a brined turkey.

The relative risk jump found is very small. It's interesting and statistically significant, but not huge. If you go from consuming almost no processed meats to the operational definition of "a lot," you probably are looking at a jump of about .056% lifetime risk to .066%. For public health, that represents a difference of 1000's of people becoming ill or not. For you, that represents an almost negligible difference in risk. When put that way, the risk benefit calculation for that behavior is much better informed than simply, "Processed meat causes cancer!"