Cancer and meat? Does meat really cause cancer and what does this mean for the country as a whole? Such a report could prove disastrous to the billions of dollars that the meat industry represents, but could it just be false fire? Is someone trying to sabotage the meat industry? No one is really sure at this point, but you can be sure that the cattle industry took offense with the recent report that there is a link between beef and cancer, according to the Yakima Herald, and many industry officials are quickly trying to refute the report.
Ross Courtney writes, “Industry officials reasserted that lean beef is part of a healthy, routine diet after the World Health Organization announced that red meat “probably” causes cancer. The conclusion labeled processed meats such as bacon, ham and hot dogs as carcinogens, the same term used for cigarettes. The findings also stated that red meat such as beef and lamb are “probably carcinogenic,” too.”
Other officials believe the report is laughable, arguing that cancer is too complex. You can’t just blame one thing. Many are citing a lack of empirical data. All officials agree that lean meat is an essential part of any healthy balanced diet, that the slanderous report on meat doesn’t take into consideration all the positive effects that meat has on the body. In the end, when it comes to health, let’s not point fingers; it doesn’t help anyone in the end.
