Daily Issues | THB Undercover
Red Meat Causes Cancer? Hogwash!
“Red Meat Causes Cancer”
About four months ago, this headline appeared in just about every mainstream health publication. It was on the nightly news. Even the Wall Street Journal ran coverage of the story.
Oh… and don’t forget about heart disease too!
But the hysteria about the dangers of “red meat” is totally off base. And this is a perfect example of why you should rarely trust the government or the mainstream media when it comes to matters of your health.
The study that gained so much attention was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The data points were “food frequency questionnaires” filled out by half a million AARP members between 50 and 71 years old. The researchers then compared this information to their health outcomes over a period of 10 years.
Their conclusion was that “red meat” causes numerous different types of cancer, heart disease and an early death. And without asking a question, the world’s media and medical authorities broadcast the verdict as proof.
The first problem is that this was not a controlled clinical study. It was a population study, based on “questionnaires.” Some population studies can provide valuable information. But most of them are unreliable. That is because it is nearly impossible to isolate variables.
So what are some of the problems with this study that the media reported as proof of the link between red meat and cancer?
The first problem is that the definition of “red meat” in the study included bacon, deli meats, sausage, hamburgers, hot dogs and steak. It also included the meat you might find on pizza or in a bowl of chili.
Hello?
Most of these meats are processed. That means they almost certainly contain sodium nitrite. This is a color fixer and preservative that is known to be highly carcinogenic! If you have deli meats, bacon or hot dogs in your refrigerator, they probably have this ingredient in them. Get rid of it and look for natural and organic brands that don’t use it.
But that was not the only problem with this study. The researchers also made no distinction between organic and conventionally-raised meats. They totally ignored what the animals were fed and the hormones they were administered.
The beef from corn-fed cows, for example, can have as much 50 times more omega-6 fatty acids than greens-fed cows. Too much omega-6 in the diet has been conclusively proven to promote inflammation and oxidation in the body. This can lead to both heart disease and cancer.
Of course, hormones in meat are known cancer-promoters too.
And it doesn’t end there. The authors of the study didn’t take into account how these meats were prepared and cooked. Cooking meat at high temperature – especially when it becomes charred and seared – can produce heterocyclic amines and advanced-glycation end products. These compounds are associated with a range of diseases, notably cancer and heart disease. A charred steak might be tasty – but it’s toxic!
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The simple truth that has escaped most journalists and doctors is that there is a world of difference between a cow raised on pesticide-free grass and field-fresh clover in a sunlit pasture… and a cow that is injected with hormones and fattened on genetically-modified, pesticide-ridden grains in a cramped feedlot.
Not to mention meat that is soaked in chemicals so it will look pretty and last a long time on the supermarket shelf… and then taken home and charred to perfection.
Cows that are organically raised and greens-fed produce meat that is free of contaminants and many times richer in vital nutrients and healthy fats – like omega-3s and CLA. These healthy fats actually protect against cancer and heart disease!
The issue is not “red meat”. The issue is the type of meat you eat and how it is prepared. Certainly you understand that. But evidently scientists from the National Cancer Institute and journalists around the world cannot.
Editor’s Note: Last week, I received a note from Dr. Dwight Lundell. He sent me an article about low-fat diets, cholesterol and heart disease. If the information you just read is of interest, you really should hear what Dr. Lundell has to say about red meat, milk and butter.
In case you’re not familiar, Dr. Lundell is a heart surgeon who was Chief of Staff at the medical center where he worked. He has performed more than 5,000 open heart surgeries in his career. That is, until he left his practice to speak the truth about the real cause of heart disease and how to prevent it. I highly recommend you read his article.
Jon Herring
Editorial Director
Total Health Breakthroughs
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AARP probably didn’t receive any $$$ from the ‘red meat lobby’…otherwise, the ‘bottom line’ might have been different.
Make mine rare…
get fucking real! americans have eaten and continue to eat far too much red meat, and are afflicted with many disorders associated with excess animal fat, such as heart disease, gout, obesity, liver failure, etc. that is to say nothing of the preservatives, nitrites/nitrates, and hormones you mention, which are of course unhealthy.
you are doing everybody a disservice by arguing that red meat is just “ok”, as long as it’s this or that kind. seems that your organization needs a credibility check!
despite Leo’s argument to the contrary, I could not agree more with this article. I treat patients every day eating a “low fat” diet who are obese and extremely unhealthy. Of course all things in moderation makes sense but it makes no sense to assume that all red meat is bad. After all deer, buffalo, elk etc are all red meats. The difference of course is in what they eat. In addition to being a physician and body builder who loves red meat, I also own cattle. I have seen with my own eyes at auctions etc the difference between grain fed cattle and grass fed. They do not look the same, they are not as healthy but for some reason in the US we have been trained to like the taste of grain fed cattle. Take all things in moderation, eat like a caveman and back off the processed foods and you will be healthier an happier. Please see my previous THB article entitled “why you need a health plan”.
Dr Tim
Oh man, you have me drooling for a nutrient rich steak!
There are a lot of stupid food myths that have been devised to cover up the true cause of the skyrocketing diesease rates in the last 50 years.
I read another article earlier today about the secret to aging well was balanced protein. Not too long ago, a Stanford professor who had been pro vegan and soy even said in his talk that they are starting to question those theories.
What changed in the last 50 years? Packaged foods and commercialized farming. Oh, and all the BS lies to cover up that fact…
Thank you so much for this!
I am behind you 100%
Best wishes,
Ghada
Dr. Tim… thank you for your comments. And for the rebuttal to Leo’s comments. If you are a vegetarian for ethical reasons, more power to you. But the way most vegetarians eat, it is not the best choice for health.
When I write an article like this, people often think that I am advocating “Beef, beef, beef!!! Every night if you can!”
Of course not.
I am simply pointing out that the blind vilification of ‘animal fat’ is totally off base. The science clearly confirms this. And yes, Leo… it does matter what type of meat it is.
Personally, I eat red meat about four or five times a month. I eat a lot of wild salmon and sardines. Some pastured poultry. Some pork. And usually about two days a week have no meat at all.
Make healthy choices… and everything in moderation.
I enjoyed this article because it, in my opinion, tells the
truth. It is high time that citizens take their health
seriously and investigate all “so-called”, studies.
We should ask ourselves, who did the study, why was it done
and what population was involved?
Congratulations! You have the guts to tell the truth. We need people like you.
I totally agree with you about red meat of grass fed-beef. I used to be very scared of red meat because “it causes cancer and other ailments”. Now I am enjoying my meal without the fear of the future “effects”.
Thank you.
Thanks so much for that article. It is very valuable for all of us. And you know something about the worse kind of meat with the red food colorant, is what I am mostly used to. I grew up on it. But I find in places that have the healthier, non food dyed meat it really turns me off and makes me feel ill.
It is amazing what we truly believe because of sight. I am not opposed entirely towards food dyes because as an artist I love color, but when I cook I use them more in baked goods.
I did so get away from the health hazard my family used to do when they contantly overfried some of our meals and opted instead for broiling or baking or boiling.
I feel that I chose well. My uncle a grea Italian cook, not for profit though he just cooked on the weekends for us all, died of a massive coronary. Too bad all that frying of which is quick and which is probably why he chose to fry may have led to his untimelely death. At 63 or 64 young he seemed much healthier and somewhat more energetic than I, but his over-eating and cooking those suicidal kind of foods on being the culprit, maybe he just didn’t realize it himself.
Thanks a lot for these and have great evening to come your way. Til next time, take care and goodbye.
Naomi P Hamm
I would also like to know if there is feedback for people to ask and receive answers via our emails. If so could you please post the email address or link, we all I am sure would really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot and have a great week!
Sincerely,
Naomi Hamm
Neither side of the red meat debate adequately deals with the food combining aspect of this issue.
When the heavy proteins of meats are ingested with starchy carbohydrates (e.g. pasta and potatoes) and/or sugars (i.e. desserts), they putrify in the lower intestine and form the foundation for degenerative disease, such as cancer.
The nutritional principles of Arnold Ehret’s “Mucusless Diet Healing System”, Jethro Kloss’ “Back to Eden” and Herbert Shelton’s “Food Combining Made Easy” are still valid today, regardless of what the strident advocates of the post-industrial age would have us believe.
Very good point, Michael. Thank you. I republished one of Herbert Shelton’s books on the health benefits of sunlight, along with the book I wrote on sun exposure and vitamin D.
It was amazing the amount of knowledge that Shelton had and the details he got right, without the benefit of modern scientific studies. He described numerous intricate actions of the benefits of sunlight. I have no idea how he understood these things without the benefit of modern scientific understanding.
If you eat a 16 oz steak every night, you are probably are asking for trouble! Beef is best eaten without starches, so it is easier to digest (in the manner of the Hay diet, where starch & protein are not eaten at the same meal). Michael seems to have picked this up.
My grandparents on my father’s side both lived to be almost 100. Though my granny became almost blind due to cataracts, they were both healthy lean people until the end. They lived on a farm where it was normal for us to grind maize in the morning to make porridge for breakfast, which we topped with fresh creamy milk straight from the cows, plus a blob of homemade butter on top. With all that creamy richness there was no need to add sugar to make it palatable. And we ate plenty of eggs. We ate beef every night - naturally grazed beef. Any bread we ate was homemade. I was never ill as a child, and I never started putting on weight until I went to the city and adopted a “city diet” when I believed I should restrict the number of eggs I ate, and eat a low fat diet.
My grandparents on my mother’s side lived in the city. Both had multitudes of pills for “water”, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc., and both died in their late 60’s. We appeared to eat a healthy diet of meat and vegetables with the city grandparents, but there was a lot more cake and sugar available, and margarine instead of butter. Of course fresh bread and rolls were available daily from the supermarket.
So it would seem to me the farm diet with little sugar, little bread, and lots of natural animal fats and meat is far superior.
I am sticking to my ‘vegan’ diet and trusting God’s Word that the Back to Eden diet is the best.
Veges
Fruits
Nuts
Grains
Seeds and herbs
This kind of lifestyle is guaranteed coupled with the 8 Health Laws which are:
Nutrition,
Exercise,
Water
Sunshine
Temperance
Air (pure and clean)
Rest
Trust in God
Seventh Day Adventists are always held up when it comes to doing research and statistics that they live longer and healthier by 10 -15 years than people who eat meat.
So who do I believe God or man.
For me it has to be our Creator. When you folows His Laws you can never go wrong!
You are also then rewarded with health that makes one wiser, more healthier, more intelligent, abundance and joyousness. See Daniel 1.
Gods Word is Life! That has to be my choice!
Thanks for this excellent article. I don’t know where the term “red” meat came from… sounds like something dreamed up by an emotion-driven dingbat with not even rudimentary education in the biological & behavioral sciences. The science on this issue clearly supports the fact that we are meat eaters by virtue of our biogenetic heiritage and the several million year development of the human genome. Biogenetically, we developed as hunter-gatherers and we achieve optimal health by following a nutritional plan consistent with that heiritage. That includes plenty of green, leafy vegetables, wild fish, seasonal nuts & fruits with plently of unprocessed grass-fed, free range meat regardless of its color.
The problem (and the cause of the degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes & Alzheimer’s) is that most Americans consume a toxic diet of foods made from grain, starch, and sugar along with eggs, fish and meat that has ALSO been fed a toxic diet of grain, starch & sugar. This perverse diet is as toxic to our food animals as it is to us. These animals become sickly and will die if not heavily dosed with pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. This is why they are typically harvested at a young age. The toxic diet they are fed makes their existence a race between premature death by chronic MAL-nourishment and the slaughterhouse. As a result, the meat is heavily laden with inflammatory Omega-6 grain oils, antibiotics, pesticides & hormones, and missing several of the valuable nutritients found in meat from animals allowed to eat their natural diet. This is the tragedy of adopting a diet based on the seeds of annual grasses. Such a diet is not appropriate as a sole nutritive source for any animal, and if adopted it will invaribly produce sickness & premature death. The planting of annual grasses (grain) has already turned most of the world’s forests & grasslands into a vast wasteland and destroyed the habitat of thousands of animal species. Airhead vegetarians who oppose eating meat becauses it requires the death of another being should be aware of the senseless death of almost all of our native species brought about by the invasion of European grain farmers. This cancerous process that began 10,000 years ago in the Middle East had already destroyed most of the native flora & fauna in Europe & Asia before reaching North America.
Finally, the argument that vegetarianism produces better health is pure nonsense. Certainly, the toxic industrial meat found in supermarkets cannot be good for us. But that is a problem created by the same profit-seeking, sociopathic agriculturalists who bring us the plague of starch & sugar made from grain.
However, the rejection of healthful grass-fed meat is a reflection of ignorance & brainwashing propaganda. Because the public is deliberately misled & lied to by the industrial food manufacturers, “research” findings are typically cherry picked only for data that supports their financial interests. And of course, they often choose to cite large descriptive studies where there are multiple uncontrolled variables & look for correlations. But correlation is not cause. They will typically pick those that support their position & ignore the rest. For example, a study of a group of vegetarians reported lower risk for cardiovascular disease. On close examination one finds that they authors “lower risk for heart attack” meant they found lower total cholesterol readings. The problem with this is that lower total cholesterol has not been proven to actually predict heart attack at all since 50% of heart attack victims have normal or low cholesterol. We may also read a report that vegetarians have a lower risk for death by heart attack, but when we examine death from all causes, the seeming vegetarianian advantage evaporates. Studies of vegetarians have found a very high rate of diabetes due to their high carbohydrate consumption. Diabetes is a well-established cause of cardiovascular disease & significantly shortens human lifespan. I could give many more examples of the myth of vegetarian good health.
There is much confusion & much misinformation generated by those who profit from feeding the American public (and the people of other countries as well) a diet of anti-nutrients, starch, sugar & inflammatory Omega-6 oils derived from annual grass & bean seeds. The USDA pays industrial farmers with taxpayer dollars to grow grass seeds which industrial food processors then purchase for pennies on the dollar. The food processors then turn these anti-nutrients into high calorie, artificially flavored, good-tasting but nutritionally empty products in pretty, bright colored packages & mark up the price about 10,000%. This is a financial ripoff racket that not only squanders the wealth of the American people, but causes billions of dollars of damage in disease, disability & premature death.
The USDA is a highly corrupt governmental agency that simply does the bidding of those it is supposed to regulate. The processed food industry is a vastly wealthy group of racketeers. If anti-racketeering laws were properly inforced, they would all be in prison.
It seems that almost everything has already been covered here.
Red meat is a good source of zinc and iron.
While there is a vast difference between meat from a properly raised and humanely slaughtered cow and the over- processed meat from factory farms, the only people who really need to restrict their consumption of red meat are those who must limit their consumption of iron due to a genetic variance. Iron can be quite toxic for some individuals because they absorb and accumulate iron more readily than most other people. The majority of us will thrive on red meat.
The zinc in our meat will aid digestion, but I don’t recommend adding meat to your beans. Bad combination–it produces more smelly gas. Keep your meat and beans separate.
Hi Jon,
Excellent article! Your solid nutritional advice is helping many in the nutritional hinterland (i.e. North America) including this soul and his young family. Please keep up the great work!
All the best,
Andrew
I read all this with interest, but my time and energy are limited.
I will leave you with this: Your decisions about what you eat are not just a matter of personal taste. Your health is not a matter of whether you prefer chocolate or vanilla.
There must be some valid science behind your decision if you are to stay well.
If you want more info call me.