Why do vegetarians associate meat with cancer?!
source: 3 different lecturers at my university: genetics, DNA, and the human genome analyst.
Answers: i have heard some vegetaraians that say if you eat red meat in particular your are way more likely to get cancer...this simply isnt true....scientist dont know what causes the cancer as there are many factors...if it was red meat dont ya think it would be banned? and when i was at university one part of my course was molecular genetics and DNA manipulation...from this course i actually discovered that every single human...has a cancer gene coded into you DNA and some never become active others do...and there are thousands of possible stimulae that can affect this...diet, age, genetic back ground, smoking, polution etc etc so why do some vegetarians assume that because we eat meat we will get cancer?? when this simply isnt true what are everyones thoughts on this?
source: 3 different lecturers at my university: genetics, DNA, and the human genome analyst.
Hi Adam,
I have to disagree with *some* of the answers already provided. They just go to show how uneducated some people are about cancer, genetics and the environment.
I don't believe meat itself causes cancer, I think it is due to current industrial farming practices. The close confinement, excessive use of antibiotics, hormones, herbicides and pesticides are to blame. These toxins are bio-accumulative, and increase in concentration the higher up the food chain we consume.
Red meat is not the most likely to cause cancer. Sea food has higher concentrations of heavy metals and contaminants than red meat. Since we used the oceans as our toxic waste dumps for so many years.
I think many people jump the gun and these days the "C" word - Cancer, is bandied about through out the media. Apparently everything causes cancer. However, that being said there is some legitimacy to the correlation between cancer and meat, but clearly many people don't understand and just automatically assume meat = cancer.
The best alternative, if people insist on eating meat, is to dramatically decrease their consumption of animal products and only buy from reputable small scale organic and free range producers.
Great question though.
Its because red meat has cancer properties in it.
I saw your question and was intrigued as to why they would think that too,I've never heard of vegetarians saying that before. You put accross a good argument though - i have to agree with you.
Here is an article saying that red meat consumption is associated with bowel cancer:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/466293...
It's also associated with breast cancer:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...
And lung, liver, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22199057/
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0...
Stomach cancer:
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/2006022...
Basically, there's a ton of research out there linking meat consumption to various cancers. It doesn't mean you WILL get cancer or that vegetarians won't. It just means that you're more likely to.
I believe it's really only red meat that causes it. But it is annoying when vegetarians just say meat. They don't even say specificially what kind. I think red meat's disgusting, so I won't even eat it. But I think red meat is unhealthy in the first place as I would believe it is partially raw. I think a lot of them say it because they feel they are so high and mighty they just have to put it out here as a means of feeling perfect in the world, that they are right and people who eat meat are wrong.
Red meat has been proven to increase the chances of bowl cancer. We don't say that because you eat meat you'll get cancer, we are merely stating that the risks are increased.
In support of your findings that every1 has cancer in their genes. Re-in forces the reason why any meat consumption could cause cancer. You can actually give yourself a cancer cell from that meat.
"if it was red meat dont ya think it would be banned?"
Is smoking banned ?
Its true many people make wild claims as to the health benefits of a vegetarian diet.
A vegetarian diet does REDUCE risk of various illnesses, but its not a cure-all or a guarentee of anything.
As per all the generalistc type questions on this site - Not all vegetarians say this, and you would be better directing your questions at people who specifically say so.
Starting your question with "Why do vegetarians ....." suggests that we are all one-mass that follow exactly the same beliefs, thoughts and values. We are not.
I know of a wonderful person who is a vegan, sadly they have cancer. Every time is see the "veggies don't get cancer" statement I cringe and think of her...hope you are ok Lo.
You're right, there are a lot of factors that contribute to one's likelihood of developing cancer: race, age, genetics, etc. Lifestyle--this means food you eat, whether or not you smoke, how much alcohol you drink, exercise--also plays a role. Nobody says if you eat meat you WILL get cancer. But because meat has zero fiber, it tends to hang around the digestive tract for a good long time, and that can cause changes in the bowel. And many studies have shown that if you eat a lot of meat, especially a lot of processed meat--such as deli meats and lunch meats--it's just one of those factors that will increasse your chances.
The idea that a factor might be the factory farming and not the meat itself is certainly intriguing. When people kept animals and killed them for meat, it was an era when people didn't live long enough to get most cancers. So we can't know for sure. But if you do eat meat, it's a good idea to eat less of it, especially cows' flesh, and when you do, eat the less cruelly produced (which are less likely to have hormones and antibiotics pumped in) meats.
Yes it is a glib, easy and ill-informed claim, made quite often on this forum, usually I believe by young recent converts to vegetarianism
Nobody knows what causes most cancers; smoking has been definitely linked to lung and some other cancers, and excessive sun exposure to skin cancers. About 10% of cancer cases are due to hereditary factors.
Other than that we're still pretty much in the dark as to what causes cancer, and posting links to articles reporting (often very small) studies which have found a POSSIBLE but by no means proven link between meat and some cancers won't change that fact.
What doctors are prepared to say is that diets high in meat may increase the incidence of colon cancer by increasing the fecal concentration of various carcinogens; a high intake of animal fat also may increase the risk of colon cancer.
It isn't just some vegetarians that make unsubstantiated claims about the causes of cancer, of course. Many people, veg*n and otherwise, make claims about various lifestyle factors being to blame. Why? Because it's less frightening for some people who haven't had cancer to 'blame the victim' than to recognise cancer for the largely random disease that it is - one that can strike any one of us at any time, whatever our diet.
There are no foods proven to prevent, cause or affect the progress of cancer.
Adam, it's because your main question, the headline one, says 'Why do vegetarians associate etc' and not 'why do some vegetarians...' that it appears you're claiming all vegetarians think the same.
Cheers Michael :) I'm fine, in remission and hoping to stay there.
The statistics are there to support the fact that vegetarians have lower rates of certain types of cancer. Cancer and its causes are complex, but when people who eat no meat have far fewer cases of colon cancer than people who eat meat, there is something there. I don't know anyone who simplifies it to the point that they say, "Meat causes cancer." Most of my family are meat eaters and we've had no cancer on either side except for one of my great grandfathers. But the studies are there to say that by being vegan, I am reducing my risk not only of certain types of cancer, but several of the so-called diseases of affluence as well.
Augment your university courses by reading The China Study. There's some pretty compelling research in there about the role of animal foods in the development of diease.
You won't necessarily *get* cancer.
But red meat increases the risk. It's possible to eat meat and still live a healthy life.
Make sure it's organic or free range, if you eat meat :-)
We Vegetarians did not find the link. Scientists did.
Linda McCartney was veggie, but she died of breast cancer. And not ALL veggies are militant. :-)