AVOID CANCER BY CHANGING METHODS OF COOKING RED MEAT

A recent report released by World Health Organization (WHO) says, consumption of processed meat is a likely cause of cancer! So what is the way forward? Should we all subscribe to the "I am a Vegetarian" way of life? Are some of the questions that are being asked.

However, if you have sworn to do good by meat all the days of your life like me, there is a bit of hope. WHO did not rule out the fact that red meat has health benefits, but they have stressed that moderation like every other thing in life, is the key to staying healthy if total avoidance of red meat is not an option.

Nutrients derived from red meat includes iron, vitamin B12 and zinc, but processed meat undergo various dangerous modifications for many reasons. Some of the processes are curing, adding salts and preservatives and smoking. Examples of processed meat are corned beef, hot dogs, salami, sausages, bacon, ham, and canned meat amongst others.

Thus, avoiding processed versions and cooking your meat in the following ways could make it safer.

Indirect-heat cooking methods like steaming and stewing to cook the meat dishes, because High-heat methods of cooking such as grilling, pan-frying and barbecuing (Suya), are catalysts for the formation of carcinogenic properties in meat that are linked to cancer in animals.

Flip meat often when grilling to reduce the formation of carcinogens.

Reducing the cooking time of meat by using pressure cooker

Trim meat-fat, because fat dripping from meat especially when grilling or barbecuing can cause an increase of the carcinogenic compounds. Red meat with high fats also increases blood cholesterol if consumed often and in large quantities.

Balance your diet by eating other sources of protein such as fish, chicken, turkey or legumes like beans, black beans and peas.

Eat four meatless meals per week as well as eat vegetables, whole grains and fruits lowers the risk of many chronic diseases.

Finally, endeavour to stay healthy by exercising regularly to remove toxins from the body. Maintain a healthy weight and drink a lot of water whilst limiting alcohol intake. Identify stress factors around you, and try to stay away from them.

Always remember that health is wealth!

RED PROCESSED MEAT ALERT! BOYCOTT PROCESSED MEAT, SAYS WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION.

The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has today released a report on the cancer-causing effects of red meat and processed meat , and the news, as you might expect, isn’t good. Although there has been a smorgasbord of evidence in the last decade suggesting that the overconsumption of processed meat
increases your chances of getting cancer – particularly bowel cancer – later in life, this new report highlights just how bad for you a few extra slices of bacon can be: Just 50 grams of processed meat a day increases your chance of developing bowel cancer by 18%. Consequently, the WHO has now classified processed meats as carcinogens . Red meat, on the other hand, is “probably carcinogenic” but there is limited evidence to support this at present.

These statements were made after consulting the findings of its specialized cancer research group, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC ). After scrutinizing decades’ worth of data across more than 800 studies, it has come to the conclusion that a mass of processed meat equivalent to less than two slices of bacon increases the chance of someone getting bowel (colorectal) cancer by almost a fifth.

A carcinogen is any chemical substance or form of radiation that either damages the genetic material or disrupts the energy conversion processes (metabolism) of an organism, and processed food is thought to contain a large quantity of carcinogenic substances. Any meat that has been modified to increase its shelf-life or to improve its taste is called processed meat. This includes techniques such as smoking, curing, or adding salt or preservatives; it is the addition of these methods and chemicals that is thought to induce a carcinogenic effect in the human digestive system.

The WHO has given processed meats (sausages, salami, bacon, ham) the definition of being “ carcinogenic to humans,” ranking it alongside alcohol, asbestos, arsenic, cigarettes and plutonium. This, of course, does not mean that a slice of bacon or ham is as dangerous to a person as one cigarette is. As BBC News reports, 34,000 deaths from cancer every year are possibly caused by diets high in processed meat. In contrast to this, there are roughly a million deaths from cancer caused by smoking and 600,000 caused by alcohol each year.

The WHO notes that there is limited evidence that 100 grams of red meat (pork, beef, lamb, veal) a day increased the risk of bowel cancer by 17%. While an increased incidence of pancreatic and prostate cancer were shown to be linked to consuming red meat, the link between red meat and these various cancers is currently not strong enough to issue a definitive statement on it, unlike processed meats.

As reported by BBC News , Professor Tim Key, from the charity Cancer Research UK and the University of Oxford, said: “This decision doesn't mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat, but if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down. Eating a bacon bap every once in a while isn't going to do much harm – having a healthy diet is all about moderation.”
The WHO was quick to also stress the health benefits of eating red meat, noting that it is a valuable source of proteins, iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

Culled from IFL SCIENCE