When the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organisation (WHO), publishes a report that in any way suggests a link between red meat and cancer, it is a cause for concern.

The biggest concern is how the report is interpreted and distilled into media soundbites and of course it makes for a perfect tabloid news story.

Comment from anywhere that could be associated with the red meat industry is likely to be met with a “they would say that, wouldn’t they,” so we should not attempt to rubbish the report, even if we could. What we must do is carefully consider what exactly it says, look at the evidence and put in the context of other research, much of which is conflicting on this issue.

The first point that is the headline grabbed from the report itself. It actually says red and processed meat possibly is capable of causing cancer in some circumstances. It provides no evidence of a causal link nor does it provide any evidence of what those circumstances might be and the increased risk they could bring.

To put this in context, the IARC have looked at over 900 substances since 1971 and decided that only one is not capable of causing cancer. Things looked at vary from foods to chemicals to lifestyle and over 400 of them were found to have been identified as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, or possibly carcinogenic to humans. It is in this context that this report needs to be considered.

Research

Some tabloids managed to find a way of getting red meat, cancer and cigarettes all in the same sentence but this has been rubbished by all agencies. If red meat was considered a cancer risk it would be treated by governments in the developed world the same as cigarettes.At around 70g per day of meat consumption there is no perceived risk.

At the extremes in 2011 Argentina had annual consumption of beef at 54kg per person, two and a half times the consumption level in Ireland or the UK and they have no greater occurrence of bowel cancer. An Oxford University led study of 63,500 people in the UK actually found that the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters.

The possibility of a risk between red meat and cancer has been subject to much research and it divides scientific opinion. No definitive risk has been established and that remains the way after this report as well.

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WHO: Processed meat “Carcinogenic to humans”

Clear heads not sensationalism needed in food debate