Less Red Meat, No Alcohol Suggested By Researchers
Just as a backlash against strict limits on the levels of meat and alcohol in the diet seems to be gathering steam, cancer researchers are calling for even less meat and no alcohol at all.
Based on an extensive analysis of the scientific literature on the worldwide causes of cancer, the American Institute for Cancer Research has issued a 600-page report forcefully reiterating that what we eat and drink has an impact on cancer risks.
The recommendations do not mince words: “If eaten at all, limit intake of red meat to less than 3 ounces daily. It is preferable to choose fish, poultry and meat from nondomesticated animals in place of red meat.”
The report contains no recommendations for dairy products, citing insufficient evidence as to their link to cancer risks.
And despite a movement encouraging people to see wine as benign and even healthful in offering some protection against heart disease, the report says: “Alcohol consumption is not recommended. If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to less than two drinks a day for men and one for women.”
John Lough, senior vice president of the nonprofit educational organization, said that realistically, the recommendations can be seen as no more than an ideal.
The recommendation that fats and oils provide 15 percent to 30 percent of total calories is more precise than advice in earlier reports, which do not suggest a lower limit. But this issue brought disagreement from one panelist, Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health; his disclaimer, the only dissenting voice, is included. Willett maintains that the panel did not find probable or convincing evidence that dietary fat causes cancer.
The recommendations that do not differ from earlier reports include eating five servings a day of fruits and vegetables (15 to 30 ounces) and seven servings of grains and legumes (20 to 30 ounces), and limiting salt consumption to six grams a day.
And like earlier reports, this one stresses the importance of not smoking, of maintaining ideal body weight and of exercise.
Taking its lead from the Environmental Protection Agency’s characterization of the cancer risk from chemicals, the report divides the evidence of the link between foods and cancer into four categories: convincing, probable, possible and insufficient.
For example, the report says there is probable evidence that meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer but that there is only possible evidence of its link to breast and prostate cancer.
The report was prepared by a panel of international researchers headed by Dr. John D. Potter of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.