Source  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 1/29/10

A review of epidemiologic evidence around possible links between red meat and cancer was unable to establish an independent link between the two, according to a report released this week at the cattle industry's annual convention in San Antonio.

The study, titled "Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption and Cancer: A Technical Summary of the Epidemiologic Evidence," was authored by epidemiologist Dominik Alexander and funded by the Beef and Pork Checkoff programs.

While noting the difficulty in identifying underlying factors involved in cancer, the Beef Checkoff quoted Alexander as saying, "… no mechanism for red meat has been established as being responsible for increasing the risk of cancer in human studies and … the totality of available scientific evidence is not supportive of an independent association between red meat and processed meat and cancer."

His assessment included an evaluation of hundreds of epidemiologic studies across all types of cancer.

"This will serve as a comprehensive resource on the epidemiologic associations of red meat and processed meat and cancer for industry stakeholders, nutrition scientists, educators and communicators," said Shalene McNeill, executive director of nutrition research with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

An executive summary of the report can be accessed here. 

The full report can be purchased for $30 by calling NCBA at 303/368-3138.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.