Many individuals include red meat in their diet and others avoid it altogether.
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What Is a Carcinogen?
A carcinogen is defined as something that can directly cause cancer.
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Research shows that there are certain chemicals in red meatboth added and naturally occurring that are probably carcinogenic.
What’s in Red Meat?
How the meat is cooked can also affect the presence of harmful components.
The longer meat is cooked at high temperatures over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, more HCAs are formed.
Think barbecued, grilled, and pan-fried meat.
HCAs are mainly found in meat cooked at high temperatures, not other foods.
PAHs can also be found in cigarette smoke, car exhaust fumes, and other smoked foods.
Both HCAs and PHAs are known to change the DNA, and that may increase the risk of cancer.
Types of Red Meat
Unprocessed red meat is considered fresh mammalian muscle meat.
This includes veal, pork, lamb, beef, or goat meat.
What the Research Says
Numerous studies have linked red meat to certain types of cancer.
However, more research is necessary to better understand how eating red meat may influence cancer risk.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men.
There is an 18% increased cancer risk for every 50g of processed meat eaten every day.
However, there is further investigation needed to confirm the association between red meat consumption and stomach cancer risk.
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is also known as colon cancer, bowel cancer, or rectal cancer.
Esophageal Cancer
There is an associated between the risk of esophageal cancer and meat consumption overall.
Meat can be cooked at a lower temperature.
It can also be prepared by baking or broiling.
Other options include using healthier oils and seasoning with herbs, spices, and/or marinating the meat.
If you plan to change your diet by adding or removing foods, contact your medical professional.
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