Nutrition

On the Link between Meat Eating and Colon Cancer

Edgar Cayce’s recommendations for various individuals seeking healing and/or prevention of cancer
”(Q) Are there any foods that should be eliminated, and if so, suggest diet?
(A) Rather use the fruit and vegetable diet. The fats should be more from nuts than meats; for these, as we find, would be most helpful — and especially cashew nuts, almonds, filberts, and the like.” (Reading 1000-11)
"Eat an almond each day — one almond — the body will have no more trouble or recurrence of this nature through the system." (Reading 3515-1 re breast cancer recommending almonds as part of a diet emphasizing leafy vegetables and low [or no] meat and fat)
Edgar Cayce readings on a cancer healing & preventative diet

Meat and Colon Cancer Link

by Heather Moore

Colon cancer is one of the world's top killers, but if you're a vegetarian, you have reason to breathe a sigh of relief. Meat-eaters, take note. The recent study by the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study chillingly confirms what previous smaller studies have shown for years: Consumption of animal products is likely to cause colorectal (colon and rectal) cancer.

The massive EPIC study is the biggest ever into diet and cancer. It involved 406,323 people from nine countries over a period of 15 years. The results of the study were presented recently in Lyon, France, at the European Conference on Nutrition and Cancer.

The study cited preserved meats, such as cured ham, hot dogs, bacon and salami, as major culprits for colorectal cancer, and indicated that red meat was also a high risk factor. People who consumed preserved meats were found to have a 50 percent greater chance of developing colorectal cancer than those who ate no preserved meats. Red meat produced the same harmful bacteria in the colon as is found in tobacco.

But don't head out for chicken wings yet. Previous studies have also linked consumption of chicken, dairy and eggs to the development of colorectal cancer. A 1990 survey and 1991 follow-up study in the Spanish Island of Majorca found that consumption of chicken, red meat, dairy and eggs increased the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Another 1991 Swedish study indicated an association between meat consumption and colorectal cancer, and a 1992 study in northeast Italy found that "frequent consumption of refined starchy foods, eggs and fat-rich foods such as cheese and red meat is a risk factor for colorectal cancer." All studies were published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and at the Harvard School of Public Health in 1990 found a clear association between animal fat intake and colon cancer rates. The authors of the study also reported that in the Nurse's Health Study of 121,700 female registered nurses 30 to 55 years of age found that, women who consumed beef, lamb, or pork as a main dish at least once a day were 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer than women who consumed meat as a main dish less than once a month.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) states that "a diet mostly from animal sources" is a risk factor for colorectal cancer. The ACS recommends that people choose foods from plant sources and limit their intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources.

The National Cancer Institute in the United States also says that "colorectal cancer seems to be associated with diets that are high in fat and calories and low in fiber" and that "eating vegetables and fruits is associated with a decreased risk of cancers of the ... colon [and] rectum..."

In fact, the participants in the EPIC study who ate the most fiber reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 40 percent. Meat and dairy products have absolutely no fiber at all, and even lean meats and "low fat" dairy products are packed with fat and cholesterol, relative to fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Based on these studies, and on the terrible suffering of animals raised and slaughtered [in conventional animal husbandry] for consumption, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has launched a campaign that pulls no punches: "Beef. It's what's rotting in your colon."

An unpleasant thought, yes, but it could save your life-and the lives of animals who are imprisoned for their flesh.

Heather Moore writes for PETA. For more information on the connection between animal products and colon cancer, visit PETA's Web site GoVeg.com.

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