Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Processed Meats and The Risk of CRC
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel
This past summer and you loved grilling out…so we hate to tell you this: processed meat is bad news. And If you think grilled meats and BBQ aren’t processed, you’re wrong.
It’s any meat that’s been salted, cured, fermented, smoked, grilled or seared. So, that’s bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, corned beef and yes, grilled burgers. That is just some of the stuff you ate this summer.
Cooking meat at high temperatures produces a handful of carcinogenic compounds. Cured meats also contain nitrates and nitrites which can be converted to potent carcinogens called N-nitroso-compounds.
The World Health Organization’s agency on cancer research analyzed more than eight hundred clinical studies on processed meats and concluded these meats are carcinogenic and linked to colorectal cancer.
CRC is the world’s third most common cancer globally and is the second leading cause of cancer death in the US when men and women are combined.
Eating just 2.5 ounces a day--less than a quarter pound fast food burger--can raise CRC risk by 30 to 40 percent. In a recent study involving more than half a million women, even a one ounce daily intake increased the risk by eight percent. Another study found three ounces of processed and red meat daily increased bowel cancer risk.
A recent study found people who ate red and processed meats had small genetic changes that made them more susceptible to CRC. They’re also at risk for stomach, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.
Even though red and processed meat provide the protein we need, poultry, fish, or even plants are healthier options in the long-term. They’re tasty too!
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or listen to our podcast on your favorite podcast service.
