A neighbor girl recently came back from college to spend the weekend at home. We ran into her at church, and she told me she was refraining from eating red meat because she had read in a magazine that it increased your chances of getting breast cancer. I ran across a statistic once that said one in three women, and one in two men, are impacted by different forms of cancer throughout their lives, so I can understand and appreciate her concern. These troubling statistics indicate that we have a lot of research to do before we have a handle on what causes these cancers, how we can reduce our risk and what treatments can be offered to cure cancer once and for all.
Keeping this in mind, I have a hard time believing that nutrient-rich beef can be the cause for a deadly disease, and that's exactly what I told our neighbor when she asked me about it. Although there are countless articles that indicate otherwise, I believe beef is a healthy addition to a well-balanced lifestyle. I think some of the negative attention about beef in the past has only escalated because red meat is an easy target and because so many folks are desperately seeking answers to alleviate their fears.
I recently read a study that concluded this: "An independent scientific review of the existing epidemiological research found no conclusive evidence of a causal relationship between red meat and any of the cancers studied (breast cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer). Furthermore, the findings and recent published studies are further evidence that the most important dietary advice people can follow to decrease cancer risk are the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, which recommend a nutrient-rich, balanced diet from all five food groups. A healthy diet as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods within and among all food groups, such as: colorful fruits and vegetables; whole, fortified and enriched breads, pastas and cereals; low- and nonfat milk, cheese and yogurt; and lean meats, including lean beef, pork, poultry, eggs, fish and beans."
This information needs to be shared with friends, neighbors, colleagues and especially your doctors. There is absolutely no reason to eliminate a single food group in order to lead a healthy lifestyle, and unfortunately, many health professionals are advising the opposite. To read the entire study, link here. What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you read negative articles about beef lately that we need to respond to?
