Why eating red meat can cause cancer in humans. . .

[DeeDee]

http://www.healthyfoodhouse.com/scientist-finally-discover-why-eating-red-meat-causes-cancer/

Scientist Finally Discover Why Eating Red Meat Causes Cancer

You have probably all heard that red meat can lead to cancer, but it seems there is a reason behind it all, and it has finally been revealed.

Namely, it was discovered that the root of it all is the sugar, according to a study from the University of California in San Diego. When it comes to eating red meat, humans are those who have higher risks of cancer due to other carnivores eat the meat naturally with no ill side effects.

scientist-finally-discover-why-eating-red-meat-causes-cancer

There is a unique sugar with name Neu5Gc which is found in most mammals, but not in humans. This sugar triggers an immune response which causes inflammation. It can be found in red meats (pork and other livestock), cow’s milk and certain cheeses.

This study was conducted over mice and all of the evidence linking Neu5Gc to cancer was circumstantial or indirectly predicted from experimental setups. The scientists stated that it was the first time they mimicked the exact situation in humans through feeding non-human Neu5Gc and inducing anti-Neu5Gc antibodies. This increased spontaneous cancer in mice.

Human bodies are not able to produce Neu5Gc naturally. So, when it is absorbed into our tissues, it is seen as a foreign invader which leads to the activation of our immune system and resulting into inflammation.

In case the immune system is subject to this sugar type, the situation gets worse, for it will frequently lead to chronic inflammation. Cancer comes as a result of this inflammation, eventually. This means that those who consume red meat regularly will surely suffer a stronger reaction than those who ingest red meat only occasionally. This shows that by reducing red meat, the health will be boosted.

People should avoid consuming red meat in order to prevent inflammation or cancer. This is due to people not being strict carnivores, so they are not able to make Neu5Gc.

Sources/References:
naturalmedicinehouse.com
www.naturalmedicinebox.net
Other included sources linked in Natural Medicine Box’s article: www.medscape.com

[Pookie]

Here's my question:  Did the study use meat (and dairy) from grass-fed or grain-fed animals?  Because there IS a difference.  Grass-fed animals have a better Omega-3:Omega 6 ratio than those fed grains, which are more inflammatory in those animals since they didn't evolve on grain diets.  So if the red meat used was from grain-fed animals, then I can more easily believe that they would cause inflammation and cancer.

The thing for me is, early humans ate meat, including red meat.  Venison, boar, elk, mammoth, you name it.  Now, we'll never know if they ever got cancer, or (assuming they didn't) if that was due to other factors, but to me, the bottom line is, we evolved on a diet that included various kinds of meat.  And we should keep eating meat.  Just make sure that what you're eating was also fed a species-appropriate diet, in this case, grass-fed.

Just my  .

p.s.  I noticed most of the comments to that article are from people who appear to be vegan or vegetarian, which leads me to think that there's a hidden agenda to get people away from (red) meat.  I could be wrong, though.

[DeeDee]

Personally, I think that GMOs are the reason for the incline in cancer. It's hard to get away from GMOs and glyphosate no matter what.

I've got a problem with that term "grass fed" because it's not saying "ONLY grass fed." It's only saying they've had grass available to them. It's not saying they didn't supplement with grains. I've started looking at a lot of it as marketing and nothing else. Unless you've raised that cow or pig yourself, you don't know what's going into it. Even "free range" chickens are suspect in many ways. With meat now, I just look for hormone and antibiotic free. "Organic" food isn't always available, though I'll pick that before anything else. So I look for hormone and antibiotic free.

Nothing says that they can't spray their alfafa and other grass fields with glyphosate either. Plus, some of them are allowed to graze in fields where GMOs were planted while the ground is given a rest. Like I said, marketing.

[Pookie]

True enough about the GMO's.  Even more reason, IMO, to avoid meat that's been fed corn, soy, etc.  Grass-fed/free-range means (to me) that at least they've gotten SOMETHING more appropriate in their diet.  It drives me nuts to see store eggs that state "all vegetarian fed" or "fed 4 grains."  Chickens are omnivores, and if they're free-range, at least the odds of them eating worms, bugs, etc. are higher, which means the eggs and meat should be healthier than chickens that don't get to go outside.

"Organic" is a marketing term, too, and not all farms that are truly organic have that label because they have to pay a stiff fee to be allowed to use it.