Health effects associated with consumption of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and trans fatty acids: a Burden of Proof study
Study title… CNN title is only about meat.
A meta-analysis of observational epidemiology
All of the issues with epidemiology apply
- association is not causation
- hypothesis generating only
- healthy user confounders
- people eating meat are often eating high carbohydrate diets
- metabolic context of the participants
- food frequency questionnaires filled out yearly or every 4 years.
I don’t have access to the paper, it hasn’t made it to the Free Academic circles yet, so I haven’t been able to read it.
Is everything we eat associated with cancer? A systematic cookbook review
I personally think the reason EVERYTHING is linked to cancer, as well as the massive surge in cancer since the 1900s, is all due to the modern metabolism (sugar burners) being very different then pre-1900 metabolism (fat burners)
- High carbohydrate load, high blood glucose load, high insulin levels
- Industrial Oil, systemic body inflammation
- Agrochemical contamination of food supply, more systematic inflammation
The problem with these observational studies is they don’t look at the modern metabolic context, so in this context, yes EVERYTHING is associated with cancer - because the studies arn’t looking at the right variables.
This is exactly why hard science doesn’t use association to draw conclusions, epidemiology is hypothesis generating only
If you haven’t read about the Metabolic Theory of Cancer I highly recommend giving it a read. It’s a much more compelling model, and explains the surge of cancer since 1900, as well as actionable steps to reduce incidence (reduce sugar and inflammation).
Per the article, they’re still not certain if it’s the added nitrites in the meat that are the problem, but if you’re looking to avoid them, I know Aldi sells nitrite-free hot dogs and bacon.
