The (Unfounded) Scare: Red Meat and processed meat, such as bacon or hot dogs, increase risk of colorectal cancer and also increase women’s risk for breast cancer.
Origin of the Scare: The breast cancer scare was based on two studies – one published in the April issue of the British Journal of Cancer(11) and the other published in the November issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.(12) The studies claimed that women who ate red and processed meat regularly were at an elevated risk for breast cancer.
The scare linking red meat to colorectal cancer was the product of a report, released in October, by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) examining diet and cancer.(13) The report specified that high consumption of red meat and processed meat were dangerous and increased cancer risk.
Media Coverage: BBC News and Reuters both covered stories linking red meat and processed meat to breast cancer under headlines such as “Red Meat Ups Breast Cancer Risk’’ and “Red and processed meat linked to breast cancer.” The Washington Post also covered this story under the headline “Breast Cancer Risk Linked to Red Meat.” Dr. Ritva Butrunm, a science advisor of AICR, said, “this new study offers further confirmation of AICR’s standing recommendation to limit intake of red meat to less than three ounces per day.”(14) The Washington Post also said research suggests that “substances produced by cooking meat may be carcinogenic, naturally occurring substances in meat may mimic the action of hormones, or growth hormones that farmers feed cows could fuel breast cancer in women who consume meat from the animals.”(15) They did not cite any evidence that this has been demonstrated in humans.
Media coverage of the alarming report linking red meat and processed meat to colorectal cancer was widespread. Headlines such as USA Today’s “Put down the bacon! Report emphasizes cancer-fat links” and the Boston Globe’s “Report ties meat, body fat to cancer” were meant to scare the public about their diet.
The Bottom Line: Red meat and processed meat often have a high fat content and therefore someone who indulges in red meat and processed meat too often could become obese – which has been shown to be a risk factor for several cancers, including breast cancer and colorectal cancer.(16)
The AICR is an organization devoted to finding links between diet and cancer.(17) Every 10 years, it reviews the published literature about how diet and physical activity affect cancer risk. It starts that review with the assumption that a diet-cancer risk exists and then cherry-picks research that supports this notion. That being the case, it is imperative that the public examines the report with a keen eye. It is not the consumption of large amounts of red meat and processed meat that causes cancer, only that there is a weak association between the two due to obesity. A more accurate report would focus on how obesity as a whole can increase risk for cancer. Steven Milloy said it best in his op-ed “Junk Science: Food Nannies’ Halloween Cancer Scare”: “The latest food scare was announced, appropriately enough, on Halloween. But the science behind the scare is about as believable as are ghosts and goblins.”(18)
