DawnWatch: Front page story on link between red meat and cancer

It opens:

"As millions of Americans fill their plates with protein-rich steak and burgers rather than carb-heavy pasta or potatoes, researchers are reporting the strongest evidence yet that eating a lot of red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer.

"Those who ate the equivalent of a hamburger a day were about 30 percent to 40 percent more likely to develop cancer of the colon or rectum than those who ate less than half that amount.

"Long-term consumption of high amounts of processed meat such as hot dogs increased the risk of colon cancer by 50 percent.

"The findings, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, join a growing body of evidence linking diet and certain types of cancer. By some estimates, as many as 3 million to 4 million cancer cases could be prevented worldwide each year simply through healthy eating and lifestyle changes."

Unfortunately it then continues:
"But meat lovers need not despair over thoughts of stocking their refrigerators with tofu burgers and vegetarian bacon." It suggests that people can limit rather than eliminate consumption of red or processed meat.

If you were once a meat eater who now stocks the refrigerator with tofu burgers but finds no reason for despair, I hope you will write a brief letter to the editor.

There is registered dietitian quoted in the article, expounding on the merits of beef eating. She is the executive director of nutrition for the National Cattleman's Beef Association.

Neal Barnard, from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (http://www.PCRM.org) is also quoted: "Suddenly the beans and tofu are looking pretty good." And he had pointed out to the reporter that there has been research showing that eating white meat also increases colon cancer risk.

You can read the whole article on line at: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.meat12jan12,1,5041692.story? OR http://tinyurl.com/4xllr

Front page stories offer terrific opportunities for letters to the editor. The Baltimore Sun takes letters at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/about/bal-feedback,0,6119824.htmlstory or it instructs, "If you wish to use regular e-mail, send your letter to:
letters [at] baltsun.com. For Letters to the Editor be sure to include contact information, including your full name and both day and evening phone numbers."



(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)



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