A plant-based diet is not only the most compassionate choice but also good for your health, as was confirmed by a coalition of prominent health organizations and global cancer experts who released information this afternoon urging the public “to continue following the recommendation to limit red meat intake to three portions a week and eat little, if any, processed meat for cancer prevention.”
The above statement was released to refute a claim by NutriRECS that people do not need to reduce or moderate how much red and processed meat they eat. The coalition of health organizations and research experts in the field have looked at the analysis from NutriRECS and disagree with their interpretation of the scientific evidence.
Following the erroneous claims by NutriRECS, The Annals of Internal Medicine published a group of privately funded articles recommending that individuals continue their current consumption levels of red and processed meat, despite the fact that these products are associated with cancer and other major health problems. Since publishing these biased articles, the journal has come under unprecedented fire by a broad group of health experts who have pointed out major flaws in the published articles and asked the journal to retract them.
NutriRECS research results are not significantly different from those found in the 2018 report of World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research. They actually verify WCRF/AICR’s findings.
However, the NutriRECS researchers have made what is a confusing interpretation of the results which has resulted in this misleading recommendation to the public. By looking at the average amount of red and processed meat that people eat in the United States and Europe, they have decided to recommend that there is no need for most people to reduce or moderate the amount of meat that they eat. In our opinion, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The NutriRECS research results do not separate red and processed meat and suggest that three or four portions of processed meat a week do not affect cancer risk. This recommendation is not supported by scientific evidence that clearly proves that red and processed meat is actually harmful to one’s health.
Cancer experts agree that eating red meat and processed meat does increase our risk of colorectal cancer, and that some people are already eating above the recommended amount.
“We stand by the rigor of our research methodology and our Cancer Prevention Recommendation that people should limit red meat intake to less than 12-18oz per week and avoid processed meat. The underlying results reported by the NutriRECS group are actually consistent with this advice but they dismiss these results based on the limitations of some contributing research methods. We believe this is not in the best public interest,” Dr. Nigel Brockton, Vice President of Research at AICR, said in a statement emailed to WAN. “Regularly eating processed meat, and a higher consumption of red meat, increases your risk of colorectal cancer.”
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine echoes AICR’s concern that information published by NutriRECS is misleading.
“Abundant evidence has shown the health risks of red and processed meat. Despite their limitations, these new studies have indicated these same risks, suggesting that consumption of red and processed meats should be discouraged. The contrary guidelines offered by these publications are inappropriate,” the organization warned. “To the extent they are publicized, they are likely to harm public health efforts.”
There are so many new plant-based meat options available to the public nowadays. Making the shift away from red and processed meat is easier than ever.
