Canada’s national meat industry groups urge consumers to take “caution” with some of the recommendations from the World Cancer Research Fund’s recent report on cancer risk stemming from diet, physical activity and obesity.
The British-based cancer group on Tuesday sent ripples through the North American meat industry with its report, in which recommendations to help prevent cancer are mostly unsurprising: exercise for at least half an hour daily; keep a lean but not underweight body mass; limit consumption of fats, sugar, salt and alcohol; don’t smoke; et cetera.
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However, its recommendation to “limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats” prompted response from the Canadian Meat Council, Canadian Pork Council and Beef Information Centre, as well as from the U.S. industry’s American Meat Institute.
“There is no convincing scientific evidence that consuming red meat, as part of a healthy balanced diet, increases the risk of cancer,” the three Canadian groups wrote Wednesday in a joint release, touting meat’s nutrient value and the recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide.
“Cancer is a complex disease with many contributing factors including physical activity, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, as well as family history and age,” the groups said. “There isn’t one single food that causes or prevents cancer.”
The groups also noted that scientific findings regarding cancer risk “continue to be inconsistent.” Both the Canadian and U.S. meat groups cited a 2004 Harvard School of Public Health analysis of 725,000 men and women that indicated no positive association between eating red meat and colorectal cancer risk.
But the cancer fund’s report contends that evidence on the cancer risk from red meat and processed meat — specifically, the risk of colorectal cancer — is “stronger than in the mid-1990s” and is now “convincing.”
The cancer fund’s report also cites “limited evidence suggesting that red meat is a
cause of cancers of the esophagus, lung, pancreas and
endometrium; that processed meat is a cause of cancers of
the esophagus, lung, stomach and prostate; and that foods
containing iron are a cause of colorectal cancer. There is also
limited evidence that foods that are grilled (broiled), barbecued (charbroiled), and smoked are a cause of stomach
The AMI took its criticism a step further than the Canadian groups’, stating that the WCRF’s recommendations reflected its “well-known anti-meat bias” and that they “oversimplify the complex issue of cancer, are not supported by the data and defy common sense.”
The American Institute for Cancer Research, a WCRF affiliate, retorted that the AMI’s statement contained “false allegations, misstatements and faulty arguments intended to distract from the clearcut finding of the report in regard to red and processed meats.” The AICR also noted that while Harvard’s data review has yet to be published, the WCRF report took the Harvard research into account in its review of current literature.
The WCRF has no Canadian affiliate group.
Winter months
For its part, the Canadian Cancer Society said Wednesday that it “will be reviewing the (WCRF) report in more detail in the coming weeks and months,” especially its recommendations focused on children and cancer survivors.
The Canadian society didn’t specifically address the WCRF’s meat recommendations but did note the fund’s recommendations on exercise and that consumers “eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, and pulses such as beans.”
“As we move into the winter months, Canadians are particularly challenged by weather conditions and the ability to afford fresh fruit and vegetables,” said Heather Logan, the Canadian society’s director of cancer control policy, in a release.
While fresh fruits and vegetables are the best choice, Logan noted these aren’t always available to all Canadians at an affordable price compared to frozen, canned or dried fruit and vegetables. “It’s best that Canadians continue to have some fruit and vegetables in their diet, rather than none at all.”
