Quote:
Originally Posted by Taf
Heard last evening from a passerby talking on his mobile...
"It's not meat that causes cancer, it's the chemicals they treat it with".
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That's why they assume it is, kinda. Not in the case of Red meat though.
This is a good breakdown of the story free from the media's spin:
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk....-need-to-know/
Quote:
In red meat, the problems seem to start when a chemical called haem – part of the red pigment in the blood, haemoglobin – is broken down in our gut to form a family of chemicals called N-nitroso compounds. These have been found to damage the cells that line the bowel, so other cells in the bowel lining have to replicate more in order to heal. And it’s this ‘extra’ replication that can increase the chance of errors developing in the cells’ DNA – the first step on the road to cancer.
On top of this, processed red meats contain chemicals that generate N-nitroso compounds in the gut, such as nitrite preservatives.
Cooking meat at high temperatures, such as grilling or barbequing, can also create chemicals in the meat that may increase the risk of cancer. These chemicals are generally produced in higher levels in red and processed meat compared to other meats.
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