[496] in Vegetarian_Support_Group
red meat and cancer
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lucy M Tancredi)
Tue Apr 11 15:47:08 1995
To: vsg@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 15:46:25 EDT
From: Lucy M Tancredi <lmtancre@MIT.EDU>
also, look at the American Dietetic Association's position paper on
vegetarianism. here is an excerpt:
Seventh-Day Adventist vegetarians have lower rates of mortality from
colon cancer than the general population (6). This may be attributable
to dietary differences that include increased fiber intake; decreased
intake of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and caffeine; increased
intake of fruits and vegetables; and, in lactovegetarians, increased
intakes of calcium. The dietary differences, especially in vegans, may
produce physiologic changes that may inhibit the causal chain for colon
cancer (7). Reduced consumption of meat and animal protein has also been
associated with decreased colon cancer in some, but not all, studies of
omnivores. Lung cancer rates are lower in vegetarians, chiefly because
they usually do not smoke, but possibly also because of diet (8).
Research suggests that vegetarians are also at decreased risk for breast
cancer (9).
6. Phillips R, Snowdon D. Association of meat and coffee use with
cancers of the large bowel, breast, and prostate among Seventh-Day
Adventists: preliminary results. Cancer Res. 1983;45 (suppl):2403-2408.
7. Turjiman N, Goodman GT, Jaeger B, Nair PP. Diet, nutrition intake and
metabolism in populations at high and low risk for colon cancer:
metabolism of bile acids. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984;4:937.
8. Colditz G, Stampfer M, Willet W. Diet and lung cancer: a review of
the epidemiological evidence in humans. Arch Intern Med. 1987;147:157.
9. Chen J, Campbell TC, Li J, Peto R. In: Diet, Life-style and Mortality
in China. A study of the characteristics of 65 Counties. Oxford
University Press, Cornell University Press, and the China People's
Medical Publishing House; 1990.
