Meat: Not for Dinner Tonight

This week was full of news about meat. The week started with news from the Department of Agriculture that US red meat consumption is expected to be lower in 2012 than it was in 2007. Of course, global meat consumption isn't down, which means the US is continuing the trend we started with tobacco of exporting our bad habits abroad. As Mark Bittman noted in his New York Times OpEd, Americans are choosing to eat less meat, not just because of price changes, but because of the negative health and environmental effects of eating red meat.

Which is good news, since the week is ending with more research on the carcinogenic effects of red meat consumption. We've talked a lot on CNiC about how red meat consumption increases risk of colon cancer. This week, a meta-analysis (i.e., a study of studies) in the British Journal of Cancer reports consumption of red and processed meats significantly increase pancreatic cancer risk. They found a 30% increase in pancreatic cancer risk with red meat consumption in men.

This is exactly the kind of science that is the foundation of the 8 ways to prevent cancer. If you want to learn more about your personal risk for pancreatic cancer, head over to Your Disease Risk.