Eat fish or poultry instead. That’s the message from the largest diet-cancer investigation ever conducted, involving half a million people in 10 European countries.
CANCER COMPARISONS
- Eating about 6 ounces of red and processed meat every day boosted colon cancer risk 35% compared with eating 1 ounce a day. Red meat included beef, pork, veal, and lamb, and processed meats included sausages, ham, bacon, and cold cuts.
- In contrast, eating about 3 ounces of fish a day cut colon cancer odds 31% compared with eating fish less than once a week.
- Eating chicken and turkey had no effect on colon cancer.
Possible reasons: Cooking red meat, especially well-done, creates carcinogens called heterocyclic amines. But the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, such as salmon and sardines, have anti-cancer activity.
Copyright 2004 Jean Carper. Printed first in USA Weekend. All rights reserved.
For more information from Jean Carper, go to www.Jeancarper.com
What's this?