3 ms·

Cured meats probably have a wider base of consumption and are carcinogenic, but only somewhat recently were categorized as such by the WHO. It certainly wasn't

Cured meats probably have a wider base of consumption and are carcinogenic, but only somewhat recently were categorized as such by the WHO. It certainly wasn't folk knowledge when I was a kid that they would be cancer-causing. Bad for the heart, sure, but nothing to do with cancer. And yet it is now established. That being said, this is a rodent study. Really not a good input to guide human behavior. And human cohort studies have only found associations with cancer after really long periods, like decades. Might be nothing there.

mattmaroon 5y ago
“Established” is a loaded word in something that can’t be tested with a controlled trial. It was once established that eating fat made you fat, eating eggs raised your cholesterol, etc.
- dundarious 5y ago
  True, I consider those things to be established to this day. Regarding cholesterol and dietary levels to serum levels, it's curvilinear. If you have a low baseline, dietary input has a strong impact on serum output. If you are eating a standard American diet that has a relatively high baseline cholesterol level, the relationship weakens to being statistically insignificant. And sure, you can get fat without eating fat, and you can create high fat diets that don't increase visible body fat, but those aren't healthy diets.
adrr 5y ago
Meat is associated with cancer. We see this in Americans with the increase in colon cancer that is correlated with the increase of meat consumption. Also hot drinks is a suspected carcinogen. Alcohol is a known carcinogen and even if you don’t consume it, it is present in fruit and can also be produced in your gut. People worry about suspected carcinogens but they are everywhere. Overall cancer rates are at record low levels except colon cancer and skin cancer. Skin cancer is a weird one since Americans spend less time in the sun and use sunblock.
- nicoburns 5y ago
  "Americans use sunblock" seems like quite a generalisation. Is that universally true? Spending less time in the sun could easily lead to less natural protection from melanin leading the more extreme exposure when it does occur.
  - jessaustin 5y ago
    Decades from now everyone will laugh at us for using the sunblock formulations we currently use. It is as if they are designed to cause cancer when used as directed.
- guerby 5y ago
  I don't know if the consensus on this will stand very long: https://www.dietdoctor.com/red-meat-is-not-associated-with-heart-disease-cancer-or-early-death https://www.dietdoctor.com/red-meat-is-not-associated-with-h... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YG81VK6co8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YG81VK6co8

mattmaroon 5y ago

“Established” is a loaded word in something that can’t be tested with a controlled trial. It was once established that eating fat made you fat, eating eggs raised your cholesterol, etc.

dundarious 5y ago
True, I consider those things to be established to this day. Regarding cholesterol and dietary levels to serum levels, it's curvilinear. If you have a low baseline, dietary input has a strong impact on serum output. If you are eating a standard American diet that has a relatively high baseline cholesterol level, the relationship weakens to being statistically insignificant. And sure, you can get fat without eating fat, and you can create high fat diets that don't increase visible body fat, but those aren't healthy diets.

adrr 5y ago

Meat is associated with cancer. We see this in Americans with the increase in colon cancer that is correlated with the increase of meat consumption. Also hot drinks is a suspected carcinogen. Alcohol is a known carcinogen and even if you don’t consume it, it is present in fruit and can also be produced in your gut. People worry about suspected carcinogens but they are everywhere. Overall cancer rates are at record low levels except colon cancer and skin cancer. Skin cancer is a weird one since Americans spend less time in the sun and use sunblock.

nicoburns 5y ago
"Americans use sunblock" seems like quite a generalisation. Is that universally true? Spending less time in the sun could easily lead to less natural protection from melanin leading the more extreme exposure when it does occur.
- jessaustin 5y ago
  Decades from now everyone will laugh at us for using the sunblock formulations we currently use. It is as if they are designed to cause cancer when used as directed.
guerby 5y ago
I don't know if the consensus on this will stand very long: https://www.dietdoctor.com/red-meat-is-not-associated-with-heart-disease-cancer-or-early-death https://www.dietdoctor.com/red-meat-is-not-associated-with-h... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YG81VK6co8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YG81VK6co8