High meat consumption: risk of blood cancer increases
Researchers around Dr. Yoshimitsu Shimomura from the Medical School of the Osaka University in Japan analyzed data from over 93,000 people and found that people who consumed a lot of processed red meat products also had an increased risk of developing blood cancer (AML or MDS). The risk of developing the disease increased by 63 percent among meat lovers who consumed the most processed red meat (7.2 g per day) compared to people who consumed the least of these meat products (1.5 g per day).
With processed red meat products z. B. meant ham, bacon, salami and sausages such as frankfurters or wieners. The study appeared in the journal Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine ( 1 ).
However, those who consumed little processed meat products also consumed significantly less meat overall, i.e. less unprocessed meat (15 g/day) and also slightly less fish (almost 70 g per day). The heavy meat eaters, on the other hand, consumed 67 g of unprocessed meat and almost 80 g of fish per day. The participants were between 49 and 64 years old, since the two forms of blood cancer tend to occur at this (or even older) age.
Blood cancer: acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a specific form of blood cancer (leukemia) in which the formation of some blood cells in the bone marrow is disrupted. The myeloid progenitor cells are affected, from which the final blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and blood platelets) then form via various preliminary stages. In the case of AML, those precursors in particular degenerate, from which the white blood cells would develop. At some point there are only the preliminary stages, but no more functional white blood cells.
There is a chronic and an acute form of AML. The former develops insidiously, while the latter has a rapid course. In the case of acute, there are primary and secondary AML. Primary means that the disease occurs unexpectedly, i.e. the cause is not known.
Secondary, on the other hand, means that the disease occurs as a side effect, e.g. B. chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Symptoms include fatigue, fever, joint pain and paleness. From the point of view of conventional medicine, neither the causes (apart from the therapies mentioned and frequent contact with chemicals such as benzene, dioxin, pesticides and herbicides) nor possibilities for prevention are known.
Blood Cancer: Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are various diseases of the bone marrow. Here the stem cells are so disturbed that they cannot form functional blood cells.
AML can also develop as the disease progresses. In addition to the usual leukemia symptoms, such as tiredness and weakness, bleeding occurs more and more frequently, since the formation of blood platelets (thrombocytes), which are important for blood clotting, is also disrupted (nosebleeds, bleeding gums, bleeding from the stomach, etc.). Bleeding is often the cause of death for those affected.
Reduce meat consumption to treat and prevent cancer
In another form of leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a low-valine diet has been shown to be helpful. Valine is an amino acid that is found in particularly large amounts in meat, meat products and fish – another indication of a possible causal relationship with this food group.
It has also been shown time and again that a high-meat diet is unfavorable for other types of cancer, such as colon and stomach cancer, esophagus cancer, uterine cancer and kidney and bladder cancer. If you have recovered from breast cancer, high meat consumption is even said to increase the risk of a recurrence.
The heme iron present in meat, the carbohydrate Neu5Gc and the additives contained in processed meat products (e.g. nitrite) and the resulting N-nitroso compounds (e.g. nitrosamines) or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are particularly can occur when grilling.
Here we explain how and why meat can damage the heart.