WOMAN’S GP DR HELEN WALL ON HER TOPIC OF THE WEEK
The truth about red meat and cancer
Tucking into steak every night could be having an impact on your body without you realising. Here’s why…
It might sound surprising, but giving dietary advice was not something I ever really envisaged when I signed up to be a doctor. Now, after years of working as a GP, I realise that the need for good nutrition is a subject that comes up often with my patients. The trouble is, there’s so much information about what we should and shouldn’t be eating that it can be hard to separate what’s true and what’s a myth.
My best friend of 40 years, Alison, is a butcher, but much to her bewilderment I don’t like red meat – I never have, but will this really offer me a health advantage?
WHAT’S HIDING IN YOUR BURGER?
In the interests of my friendship, it’s probably worth noting that not all red meats are made equal. The source and subsequent quality of any meat can vary immensely and many meat products we eat have gone through a degree of processing, which usually comes with a few health warnings – whatever the food product.
Several large studies have shown that too much red (beef, lamb, pork, goat, venison) and processed meat (such as salami, cooked ham, bacon) has been linked to bowel cancer and, in some research, to higher breast cancer risk. But many of the studies are observational ones, which means they watch what happens over time, and they do not necessarily prove causation – there may be other factors at play. Even so, NHS advice is that if you eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red or processed meat a day you should cut down to 70g.
The cancer debate aside, we do know that red meat can be high in saturated fat, which can increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and processed meats often have high salt content to bump up your blood pressure and put a strain on your kidneys. It’s unsurprising then that several studies have linked heavy red meat consum
