How am I protecting my body by not eating meat?

Question

How am I protecting my body by not eating meat?

Answer 1

red meat is implicated in cancers of the breast,colon and ovaries.look up online for more info.drs often have their patients decrease or stop,consumption of all meats,especially red meats,if being treated for these 3 very serious cancers.i dont eat meat as i am at high risk (family history) of breast and ovarian cancer.if i can improve my odds,i will at least try.i dont even miss meat.

Answer 2

Arielle ( and Tradition...)- meat is not linked to either breast or ovarian cancer. Cancer specialists are prepared to say that a diet HIGH in meat MAY contribute to colo-rectal cancers.

Having had breast cancer myself and having met, through support networks, several dozen other people who have had it, I have never encountered a doctor who recommended giving up meat during treatment or anyone whose doctor recommended this. I've met three other vegans - one a lifelong vegan - and dozens of vegetarians who've had breast cancer.

Nobody knows the causes of most cancers; cancer specialists don't. It's a largely random disease that affects the healthy and unhealthy alike.

I'm vegan myself; I don't think we do ourselves any favours by making unrealistic and unsubstantiated claims for the health benefits of vegetarianism and veganism

EDIT** No, Tradition is not Scientific , breast cancer is not 'definitely related' to meat, dairy or egg consumption, and you have offered no proof that it is. You have quoted studies that indicate it MAY be and claimed them as proof that it is; this is how much misinformation about cancer is spread and becomes received wisdom, while remaining totally unproven

Do the research? - I've had the bloody disease, BELIEVE ME I've researched it. But we clearly have different definitions of research. And different definitions of science

2nd EDIT*** You did not offer me scientific evidence, and I did not say it 'may' be proof. You linked to a couple of newspaper reports of studies. The results of a couple of studies are not scientific evidence, and they are not proof. Far, far more research needs to be done, and far more PROSPECTIVE studies would need to be done - for example, studies where at the start nobody had breast cancer and they were followed and their diets studied for several years, rather than RETROSPECTIVE studies where people were asked about it after they got cancer - not reliable at all - before those conclusions could even begin to be regarded as serious findings, much less proof.

Conclusions drawn in studies are not written in stone; other studies have different findings, and sometimes later studies by the same research team reach different conclusions than their original study did.

You are assuming the studies are conclusive; they are not. The link you provide is to a news story - notoriously unreliable - NOT a study, and even that story is honest enough to use the word 'may'. That is NOT evidence - you will have to do better than that.

You cannot look at studies that that have reached otherwise unproven conclusions and cherry-pick the ones that coincide with your existing prejudices. That is not research.

I know having a disease doesn't make you an expert; but because I have had it I have researched it thoroughly. And believe me I have had more time than you to study both the vegan diet and cancer - I left school a long time ago.

Meat, dairy and egg consumption  are not a recognised breast cancer risk factor. Alcohol is, and high fat diets are considered a likely risk factor.

People who have researched this disease for decades, who are specialists in the field, whose life's work is finding a cause or effective prevention or treatment don't yet know what causes breast cancer, and have not identified animal products as a risk factor.  But - and I don't want to be offensive here, but... - a high school kid knows better??

I have made no mention of genetic breast cancer by the way; hereditary breast cancer is very rare - only 5 - 10% of cases are due to genetic factors. The rest are random, and nobody knows what causes them.

I'm vegan and have been for years, but I make no unsubstantiated and unproven claims for the vegan diet

Answer 3

The American Dietetic Association is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. It says that vegetarians have “lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; … lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer” and that vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to be obese.

More info on the health benefits:

http://www.goveg.com/healthConcerns.asp

Answer 4

Result of too much red meat in the diet: High cholesterol,diabetes,high blood pressure,speeds up alzeimers in people who have it(this is a fact), cuts up to 30 years out of your life.

Answer 5

Meat is high and fat and very low in fiber. Also, nowadays it is loaded with chemicals, antibiotics, preservatives, and carcinogens.

We need fiber to sweep food through our digestive systems. Since there is no fiber in meat, it tends to sit in our digestive system and rot. Also, our colon does not take to meat too nicely either. It collects in there too which is why we have such a problem with colon cancer.

Also, animal fat clogs up our arteries, resulting in high mortality rates due to heart disease, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases.

Also, females who eat red meat have a significantly increased chance of developing breast cancer which is why it's better to stop eating meat from a young age.

Hope that helps. =]

LO_MCG:

High consumption rate of meat,eggs, and dairy is definitely related to breast cancer. In fact, women who consume one and a half servings of meat per day are twice as likely to develop breast cancer. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15702642/)

Here's a quote from from the washington post website in an article about red meat and how it is linked to breast cancer.

"The study of more than 90,000 women found that the more red meat the women consumed in their 20s, 30s and 40s, the greater their risk for developing breast cancer fueled by hormones in the next 12 years. Those who consumed the most red meat had nearly twice the risk of those who ate red meat infrequently."

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

More and more studies are being done and there is increasing evidence that breast cancer is related to red meat consumption. Do the research and you'll see.

Besides, even if red meat "maybe" related to breast cancer like the nutritionists say, I don't want to risk eating it. But the studies are hard to ignore.

I don't understand why you are so unwilling to accept that there is significant proof that increased consumption of red meat is related to breast cancer....There's honestly no point in even arguing with you when you dismiss all evidence.  When I give you scientific evidence, you say it "MAY" be proof. And just because you have it dosen't mean your entitled to be right, just so you know. And I don't know what you mean by we have different definitions of science. I've studied the benefits of a vegan diet extensively, and most of the scientific evidence I've read with relation to breast cancer and red meat consumption have been conducted with samples of large amounts of people under different diets (including those who consume little to no red meat and those who consume it daily). If that's not scientific study, I don't know what is.

Sure, breast cancer also has it's genetic aspect. That I completley accept. But there is no denying that diet plays a large role in it to.

Answer 6

I don't know that much about the subject but i read in a book called "natural cures" that meat has alot of toxins in it and that our body just gets use to them over time. So if you start eating organic meat( which is raised and killed in a  totally different manner than regular meat)or if you quit eating meat all together, your body will get used to not having those toxins anymore.....and then if you try to eat regular meat again it could make you violently ill.

Answer 7

In MANY diffrent ways. As others have said, a vegetarian diet is a great lifestyle disease preventer, not to mention you don't have any of the cholestoral in an all plant diet. Then there is the fact that the growing resistance to anti-biotics is commonly atributed to meat, eggs and dairy. Then, with fish, you can avoid mercury poisoning. You are more likley to get your daily dose of veggies on a vegetarian diet, not to mention (if you're on a diet) that plant foods are generaly lower in fat and calories ... etc. Fiber is good for many things as well ... (it is also believed to help prevent cancer).

Vegetarianism leads you to try a verriety of new foods (contrary to popular belief) and to pay more attention to nutrition and what you eat.

Another factor is your concience being clearer (which I suppose could contribute to fewer mental issues). Then there is always all the good you will be doing for the animals to consider! (( contact me if you want more info on how to start ... etc ))

Answer 8

Eating chicken and fish are ok .Red meat has saturated fat,cholesteral ,anti biotics,and hormones in it.Even so it's ok to eat once in a while if you enjoy it.