7 Steps to Overcoming Menopause and Andropause
Chapter 1
Step 1: “ELIMINATE DIETARY HEALTH RISKS!”
Weight gain, exhaustion, muscle mass reduction and sagging may occur over age forty, but there is something you can do today to restore your vigor and appearance. The simple removal of toxic items from your diet will soon improve your health, even if you do nothing else! The most rapid sense of wellness often comes from what you STOP eating, rather than from what you eat.
Tossing poisons out of your cupboard, freezer, fridge and shopping cart is just as powerful as adding supplements and health foods to your diet. Absorption of healthful nutrients, in fact, depends upon the removal of toxins. Elimination primes the foundation for health, and it’s economical. You’ll save money instantly when you cross expensive items like meat off your menu. So if you want to lose weight, be healthy, look and feel better, and stretch your dollar at restaurants and stores, read on!
Rejecting toxic products can be easy, even fun, unless you complicate the process through loyalty to “comfort” foods to which you return again and again. You may be eating certain foods today automatically just because your mother served them to you decades ago, even if they are now known to cause obesity and degenerative diseases. Many adults have milk and sugary cookies every day partly to recapture Mom’s love, yet they may be unaware of this. Our eating habits are often partly emotional and partly physical.
Do you cling passionately to a cheeseburger as if it were your life raft instead of the bomb threat to your health that it really is? Have you ever heard the expression, “Big Mac Attack”? They’re not kidding. We are attracted to the foods of our childhood and sociability. We then develop cravings for their salt and fat, and become addicted to the sugar lurking in ketchup, dressing, and white bread. Those cravings stop, and obesity, indigestion, forgetfulness, distractability, irritability, depression, anxiety, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and erectile dysfunction will be less likely to occur, if you abandon foods laced with saturated animal fats, hormones, and sugar.
Arm yourself with the alerts below that will warn you about major substances to avoid, and why. Be receptive. YOU can decide to defend your own life. Start by eliminating these “nine deadly sins” that damage you.
“The Nine Deadly Sins”
Meat
Poultry
Fish
Dairy
Sugar
Aspartame
Caffeine
Alcohol
Fluoride
These are not the only poisons to exclude, but they are key and removing them will result in a noticeable vitality. Let us look closely at each of these health saboteurs and see that their elimination can enhance your menopausal or andropausal years energetically by protecting your immunity.
Pathogens and toxic chemicals, such as those in “the nine deadly sins,” can wreak havoc with your hormones, leading to a weak underactive immune response. Reducing your toxic load will increase your immunity. Physicians observe that older men and women with strong immunity are “above average in their entire physical being and the quality of their lives.”[1]
The following discussion presents definitive mainstream research on the dangers of meat, poultry, fish, dairy, aspartame, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and fluoride. Be bold. Eliminate these risk factors for disease from your life! You need not release everything at once, but as you do let go of each of these illness triggers, you will experience a noticeable uplift in your mood and well-being.
1. MEAT
Menopause and andropause are caused by hormonal
imbalances. These imbalances are increased by consumption of meat; in particular, meat to which hormones (growth stimulators) have been added, or meat to which any substances that may increase or decrease hormonal activity have been added, such as antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals. Many of these poisons mimic estrogen in the body to increase cell division, leading to cancer.
Food thus influences the action of hormones, and hormone levels determine the strength or weakness of your immune system, which in turn affects your health. Rebalancing your hormones can slow your aging process. The first step in rebalancing your hormones is to give your body a chance to rebalance itself.[2] You do this by eliminating anything that throws your own hormone levels out of balance.[3] Homeostasis is the body’s balanced state. Imbalance can eventually be detected by inflammation; it is preferable to prevent inflammation by avoiding substances known to disrupt homeostasis. Menopause and andropause symptoms can be eliminated, in part, by casting meat out of your diet. This section presents symptoms that can be arrested or alleviated when you stop eating meat.
There are two main questions you must ask about meat, aside from the horrific animal cruelty involved. (1) Is meat contaminated? and (2) Can eating meat, even organic meat, cause catastrophic illness?
Question #1: Is meat contaminated? The answer is that meat can be contaminated and be sold. Christine Horner, M.D. writes,”Red meat is a storehouse of concentrated toxins including pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and growth stimulators.”[4]
There are also unexpected “guests” that may appear in your meat, such as E.coli and other germs, which could prove deadly.
The answer to the second question is that meat can kill you, especially if you eat a lot of it. The meat lobbyists, cattle-ranchers, pig farmers, and fast-food chains would have you think that meat is not only safe to eat, but that it is essential for your strength. Their livelihood depends upon your believing them without question. They do not tell you that meat-eating has been linked to disease.
Let us address the first question of meat contamination. The following list of contaminants is not exhaustive, but it will alert you to major threats to your health:
U.S. meat contaminated by salmonella. Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal observes,“The meatpacking industry. . . can sell beef with salmonella in it without any check by the government.”[5] Schlosser recounts how, in an unprecedented move, “a plant with high-level salmonella contamination was shut down,” “but the plant was reopened later in the afternoon by a federal court,” when the court threw out “the salmonella standard for ground beef,” even though the plant had “been selling ground beef to the National School Lunch Program.” “The case eventually made its way to an appeals court that ruled salmonella is a naturally-occurring organism and the government can’t shut down a ground beef plant that has high levels of it in its meat.” Schlosser calls this “insane,”[6] but it is a rule that is in effect today.
“The meat packing industry continues to vehemently oppose further regulation of their food safety practices. Moreover, the meat packing industry enjoys a rare immunity from federal intervention. Although the U.S. government can demand the nationwide recall of a stuffed animal or toy,... it cannot order a meatpacking company to remove contaminated, potentially lethal ground beef from fast food kitchens and supermarket shelves."[7]
U.S. meat contaminated by E.coli. Dietician Susan Levin writes, “The figures are grim. Every year, Escherichia coli 0157:H7 is responsible for approximately 60 deaths and more than 70,000 infections in the United States, and more E. coli infections in this country have been caused by eating ground beef than any other food. It's a critical public health issue, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and meat companies don't seem to be able to solve the problem.”[8] Hope Ferdowsian, M.D., a public-health specialist, observes that the elderly, as well as children, are among the most susceptible to E. coli infection.[9]
Recent safety alerts, such as “Tainted-Beef Recall Sparks Consumer Concerns,”[10] and Reuters News Service report, “U.S. meat firm expands beef recall due to E.coli,”[11] both reported by ABC News. These and similar alerts carried by all major national and many international media sources give us reason to be wary of even the most trusted names in beef. Topps E-coli-laden frozen hamburgers in the blood-red box were the focus of the recent September 2007 recall. It was publicized that across “more than six states,”[12]“[t]he USDA has linked 27 reported and three confirmed illnesses to the Topps Meat frozen hamburgers,” which prompted the first recall in Topps history.[13] After 67 years in business, Topps Meat Company, founded in 1940 in Manhattan, was finally forced to close due to the monumental recall of 21.7 million pounds of ground beef.
“Critics complain that every lot of processed meat should be tested, which is something not required today.”[14] The report of illnesses and subsequent sampling investigation announced the problem. Topps “voluntarily” recalled its meat.[15]
“Most alarming, says Schlosser, is how changes in food production and cattle raising have increased the likelihood of widespread outbreaks of food-borne pathogens, such as E. coli.”[16] And it is only going to become worse.
A Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) policy brief in Industrial Livestock Production and Global Health Risks reported on September 19, 2007 states: "The risk of disease transmission from animals to humans will increase in the future due to human and livestock population growth, dynamic changes in livestock production, the emergence of worldwide agro-food networks and a significant increase in the mobility of people and goods."[17]
U.S. meat contaminated by hormones is a cancer risk; [at least] “two-thirds of all [U.S.] cattle are pumped full of hormones.”[18] Hormone ingestion can be addictive.[19]
In 2006, reports such as “Artificial hormones in U.S. beef linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer,” presented evidence of “a rise in the rates of breast and prostate cancer in the U.S., where two-thirds of all cattle are pumped full of hormones.”[20]
A December 7, 2007 report indicates that in the U.S., “[c]onventional livestock producers have been administering growth hormones to beef cattle” (affecting “nearly all animals in conventional feedlots,”[21]) as follows:
“[S]ix anabolic steroids--three natural and three synthetic--are given, in a variety of combinations, to nearly all animals in conventional feedlots in the U.S. and Canada. The three natural steroids used are estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone.”[22]
1. Estradiol [estradiol-17-beta]: natural hormone in U.S. meat; especially dangerous to menopausal women
Estradiol is a major ingredient in several hormone preparations added to U.S. beef. The term estradiol “[g]enerally refers to the 17-beta-isomer of estradiol.”[23] “Estradiol-17-beta is the most potent form of mammalian estrogenic steroids.”[24] Estradiol-17 beta is known as "a complete carcinogen” because it has both ”tumour-initiating and tumour-promoting effects."[25]
In addition to being carcinogenic,[26] scientists observed that the compound hormone preparation Revalor-H, which contains 14 mg estradiol [plus 140 mg of trenbolone acetate] per 7-pellet implant,[27] results in a “marked [emphasis added] reduction of the [human] [t]hymus gland, which is essential to the normal functioning of the immune system.”[28] Since menopausal women tend to experience a 5-10 percent reduction of the thymus gland by age 50, exposure to estrogen that is known to reduce the thymus further is contraindicated. It is well known that damage to the immune system (of which the thymus is a key part) often results in poor defense against infections and cancers.
Revalor ® -IH is an implant that is also used alternatively in recent years “containing 80 mg of trenbolone acetate and 8 mg estradiol. Each implant consists of 4 small yellow pellets”[29] but, although Revalor-IH delivers a lower dosage of estradiol than Revalor-H, it is still administering estrogen to those who eat the meat.
The hormone preparations contain a warning indicating that they are “Not for use in humans.”[30] It must be emphasized, however, that humans ultimately ingest the hormones when they eat the beef.
2. Progesterone: natural hormone in U.S. meat
“Progesterone is a steroid hormone linked to the implantation of the egg in the uterus and the growth of the embryo and fetus. In laboratory animals, progesterone has been shown to increase the incidence of tumours in the mammary gland, ovary, uterus and vagina.”[31]
3. Testosterone [testosterone propionate]: natural hormone in U.S. meat
“Testosterone [a fast-acting anabolic steroid] is the main sex hormone secreted by males and is known to induce tumours in mice and prostate cancer in rats.”[32]
“[T]he three synthetic hormones used are the estrogen compound, zeranol; the androgen, trenbolone acetate; and progestin melengestrol acetate. The steroids are typically used in combinations. Measurable levels of all of these growth-promoting hormones are found in the muscle, fat, liver, kidneys, and other organ meats we routinely eat at meal time.”[33] [Emphasis added.]
1. Zeranol: synthetic hormone in U.S. meat
“Zeranol is a mycoestrogen produced by various species of fusarium moulds. Male mice exposed in utero to zeranol produced testicular abnormalities. Zeranol also caused the development of pituitary gland tumours in mice and the induction of adenomas and carcinomas of the liver in hamsters.”[34]
2. Trenbolone [trenbolone acetate]: synthetic hormone in U.S. meat
“Trenbolone is a synthetic androgen having anabolic activity several-fold greater than testosterone. Feeding trenbolone to mice produced pancreatic tumours, liver tumours and hyperplasia.”[35]
3. Melengestrol acetate [MGA, melengestrol]: synthetic hormone in U.S. meat
“Melengestrol acetate [a progestin (synthetic progesterone)] is the only beef-hormone administered as a feed additive and is a sister compound of Diethylstilbestrol (DES).”[36] [DES caused cancer in many daughters of mothers who were prescribed DES during pregnancy, also cases of infertility, pregnancy complications, and structural pregnancy anomalies in daughters; breast cancer risk in the mothers; growths on sons’testicles and, CDC reports, “Several studies found an increased risk of testicular cancer among DES Sons,”[37] which has not been proven incontrovertibly but the cancer link cannot be ruled out.[38]] “MGA pellets implanted in female mice caused increased incidence in mammary tumours.”[39]
“[T]he hormones melegestrol acetate, progesterone, testosterone, trenbolone and zeranol” are of much concern. “These hormones are known to disrupt the body's natural balance, causing a number of [negative] biological effects. ‘There is clear evidence of the risk to human health posed by these hormones.’"[40]
Research on the hormone estradiol shows it to be “a cancer risk,” per “chemical expert” John Verall.[41]
“Growing scientific evidence highlights the dangers of exposing people to hormones. Hormone residues in meat and meat products can disrupt the natural ‘endocrine equilibrium’ (hormone balance) which exists within everyone's body. Any disruption of this equilibrium can result in multiple biological effects with potentially harmful consequences for human health.”[42]
”Scientifically speaking, these risks include neurobiological (endocrine) effects, developmental effects, immunotoxicity, reproductive and immunological effects, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity.”[43] “An expert scientific panel to the US National Toxicology Program (a program of the National Institutes of Health) concluded that ‘all forms’ of estrogen be listed as ‘known cancer-causing agents.’ This latest recommendation includes ‘steroidal estrogens’ like those used by the beef industry to increase weight-gain in cattle. The nine member panel, made up of experts in the fields of toxicology, epidemiology and cancer research, made their recommendation to the U.S. government after a thorough review of 20 years of data.”[44]
“Estrogen, the so-called female hormone, occurs naturally in men and women. Some forms of estrogen, including those used in birth control pills, have long been linked to increased cancer rates and are already classified as ‘reasonably anticipated to cause cancer.’”[45]
There is “evidence that growth and sex hormones in beef can cause genital abnormalities in boys, and early onset of puberty in girls,”[46] “thus making them more susceptible to breast and other cancers.”[47]
U.S. meat contaminated with Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), linked to breast cancer. Dr. Christine Horner warns that when rBGH is injected into a cow to make it big quickly and yield more milk, much insulin-like growth factor–1 (IGF-1) is produced. At high concentrations,
IGF-1 is extremely dangerous because it becomes an extraordinarily potent stimulator of breast cancer. In fact, scientists believe it may be the most potent stimulator of breast cancer known. Women with the highest levels of IGF-1 in their bodies have a 700% increased risk of breast cancer! Eating conventionally raised beef and dairy products is the principal way that excessive amounts of IGF-1 get into your body.[49]
U.S. meat contaminated by Carbadox, pig growth hormone, a known carcinogen. The U.S. allows the use of Carbadox, a “well-documented carcinogen,” used to boost pig growth. Carbadox has been banned by the European Union and Health Canada has suspended its use, while attempting to ban it. “There are concerns that it can cause cancer in farm workers and through residues in meat.”[50]
Hormones in U.S. beef linked to human infertility. A December 7, 2007 report reveals,“Exposure to growth hormones in beef could be putting Americans at risk for infertility. A recent study found that women who routinely ate beef were far more likely to give birth to boys who grow up to have lower-than-normal sperm counts. Yet despite the fact that infertility might be linked to the use of growth hormones in beef, these dangerous drugs are used by the cattle industry at an alarming rate in the U.S.”[51]
Meat and dairy linked to higher risk of death from prostate cancer. A Reuters report, “Low-fat, vegetarian diet may stall prostate cancer,” published on September 11, 2007 states,"Western"-style diets heavy in animal fat and dairy products may increase a man's risk of developing the disease” prostate cancer.[53] The article cites the fact that “several studies of men with prostate cancer have linked high saturated fat intake to faster disease progression and a higher risk of death. Saturated fat is found mainly in animal products.”[54] "’For men diagnosed with prostate cancer, the key to improving the odds of survival is avoiding high-fat fare and instead choosing fruits, vegetables, beans and other cancer-fighting vegetarian foods,’ lead study author Dr. Susan Berkow said in a statement. Berkow is with George Mason University in Alexandria, Virginia.”[55]
Reporting in the September 2007 issue of the journal Nutrition Reviews, Berkow and her colleagues, co-authors Neal D. Barnard, M.D., and Gordon A. Saxe, M.D., Ph.D., “speculate that the fiber and other nutrients found in plant-based diets may affect prostate cancer by altering levels of certain hormones that can feed tumor development, including testosterone and insulin.”[56]
The article advises: “Avoid foods that feed tumor growth, such as dairy products and meat.”[57]
The 76 published studies analyzed for the current review include the groundbreaking work by Dr. Dean Ornish that shows serum from patients following a low-fat vegan diet inhibits the growth of cultured prostate cancer cells eight times more than serum from a standard diet group [that includes meat]. Several studies, including Dr Ornish’s, found that patients on a low-fat, plant-based diet experience a significant decrease in PSA levels, a marker for prostate cancer progression.[58]
“According to lead author Susan Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and her colleagues, high-fat, low-fiber diets raise circulating testosterone, estradiol, and insulin levels, which in turn may fuel prostate cancer cell growth. Among men with the highest intake of saturated fat, the risk of dying from prostate cancer is three times higher than among men with the lowest intake, the authors found.”[59]
In his book, Androgenetic Alopecia: Modern Concepts of Pathogenesis, researcher Masumi Inaba reports a higher incidence of balding among Japanese men on a Western diet, containing much more red meat than the Japanese diet.[60] The research postulates that high saturated fat levels cause the oil glands in the hair follicles to grow, thereby producing much dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that damages the hair follicles. Baldness is viewed as a hormonal imbalance in which the DHT, a bi-product of testosterone breakdown, is the principal cause of the hair loss.[61] Reduction of or removal of dietary red meat results in less hair loss.
Baldness or extreme thinning of the hair in older men and women can also be traced, in part, to poor circulation to the scalp, caused and/or exacerbated by ingestion of saturated animal fats that clog or narrow your arteries.
Facial hair in older women may increase with meat consumption. Facial hair in older women may be increased by eating hormone-laden animal proteins.
Urinary incontinence may be increased by animal protein, particularly meat consumption. The kidneys must work harder to excrete waste when your diet is rich in animal proteins.
Adult urinary incontinence disorders may also be side-effects of prescription drugs (consult your physician), dietary acidity (carbonated beverages may cause or worsen incontinence), physical disabilities, and/or stress. Pelvic exercises are often recommended, but you may be astonished at the positive results of following the dietary adjustments in this chapter, which often help quickly; you may wish to try both.
Fecal incontinence may be aggravated by antibiotics in meat. Antibiotics kill off friendly bacteria in the gut that help prevent diarrheal symptoms.
Saturated fats in meat can contribute to erectile dysfuntion (E.D.). Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture Viagra (Pfizer), and its competitors Cialis (Eli Lilly & Company ICOS) and Levitra (Bayer) have a goal: “30 million potential customers, mostly among the roughly 60 million men over age 40.”[62] Consumption of saturated fats is related to obesity and heart disease. “[T]he same process that causes the blood vessels around the heart to clog up also can contribute to clogging and narrowing of the vessels in other parts of the body. This includes the vessels leading to the genitals. When these vessels become clogged, blood flow to the area is decreased and this can lead to ED.”[63] “In men who are 75 and older, nearly 80% are affected.”[64]
Persons taking Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis, or other drugs of this type, should not eat processed red meats because of nitrates. Products such as Levitra, Cialis, and Viagra (prescribed for erectile dysfunction) increase the action of nitrates. They are not to be taken by anyone who takes nitrates. (Levitra 20 mg package insert; Cialis 20 mg package insert; Viagra 20 mg package insert.) There are certain heart medications called nitrates; most processed red meats (bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausages, and cold cuts such as salami and bologna) contain nitrates as well. (There are other precautions on the package inserts for these drugs.) This is not an endorsement for Viagra, Levitra, Cialis or any pharmaceutical drug prescribed for impotence.
There are processed meats made with turkey instead of red meat; these may lack nitrates, but they contain nitrites, which cause cancer.
Men or women taking nitrate medications (e.g., for angina pectoris) should not eat processed red meats. Most processed red meats contain nitrates that could increase the action of pharmaceutical nitrate medications.
U.S. meat contaminated by Mad Cow Disease. Mad Cow Disease in humans, always fatal, is a progressive wasting away of the brain tissue, which becomes spongy. “People could be infected with the human form of mad cow disease for more than 50 years without developing the illness, which means the size of a potential epidemic may be underestimated,”[65] making this dread disease even more insidious. “The Lancet described the study in an editorial: ‘Any belief that vCJD [Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease/Mad Cow Disease] incidence has peaked and that we are through the worst of this sinister disease must now be treated with extreme skepticism,’ it said.”[66]
The Web site of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), highly respected independent third-party certifiers of organic food, whose site logo is “campaigning for health, justice, sustainability, peace, and democracy,” asks if the USDA is “covering up an epidemic” of Mad Cow Disease and warns: “Mad Cow Disease has now been discovered in the United States. Given the fact that the USDA only tests one cow out of every 2,000 [“Japan now tests every cow slaughtered”[67]], no one really knows how many of these infected animals may have already entered the human food supply.”[68]
The Organic Consumers Association is circulating a petition bearing the signatures of “tens of thousands of citizens,” concerned for their health and the health of their families, friends, and our nation “demanding that the U.S. Government adopt and enforce the same strict standards required by the European Union and Japan.”[69] Japan used to import 20,000 tons of U.S. beef per month. “Japanese consumption of U.S. imported beef has,” as of July 2007, declined by 90 percent because of Mad Cow concerns.[70] (The first mad cow (positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)) was discovered on American soil in December 2003.)
“Americans are now being alerted to the fact that BSE presents a health threat in the United States.”[71] Scientists express “growing concern about BSE and vCJD and the need for corrective action to protect the health of humans and animals in the United States.”[72] vCJD “robs an affected individual of mental faculties and muscle coordination,” induces madness, and eventually leads to coma, then death.[73] The extent of BSE that has already entered the human food supply is unknown. “Between 1979 and 1998, 4,751 Americans died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and the possibility that BSE played a role in some of those deaths cannot be ruled out.”[74]
It should be noted that the OCA also attempts to protect us from Mad Cow Disease by boycotting such companies as Horizon Organic (a subsidiary of food giant Dean Foods, Inc., and a supplier to Wal-Mart), distributed widely by United Natural Foods (under UNF’s private label, Woodstock Farms) when their “factory farmed” milk is not living up to organic standards and they refuse to reform.
OCA Executive Director, Ronnie Cummins, responds as follows: “A study by the Cornucopia Institute found that Horizon is purchasing a major portion of their milk from feedlot dairies where the cows have little or no access to pasture, and have routinely been importing calves from conventional farms, where animals are routinely weaned on blood plasma, fed genetically engineered feed, slaughterhouse waste, and poultry manure, and [are] injected or treated with antibiotics.”[75] Feeding animals slaughterhouse waste is a primary risk factor for a Mad Cow Disease breakout or even an epidemic. It is patently inappropriate for an organic company to cooperate with such procedures. “In 1997, the U.S. Department of Agriculture banned the feeding of ruminant animal (cow, sheep, and goat) remains to other ruminants. But it allows livestock operations to fill their troughs with other rendered animal remains and even chicken manure left over from huge chicken operations.”[76] Horizon is now a part of these dangerous practices.
National Cattlemen's Beef Association on behalf of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and State Beef Councils denies Mad Cow threat to U.S. beef. Just as the RMS Titanic was declared unsinkable by those who built the ship, we’ve all heard it said that U.S. beef is the “safest in the world” and poses no health threat (unless you eat spinal cord or brains). Now it is time to see just who is defending the honor of American beef. Yes, it’s the beef producers themselves. Web sites such as BSEinfo.org, which is “funded in part by America's Beef Producers” and “funded in part by National Cattlemen's Beef Association member dues” vouches for the safety of U.S. beef.[77] Now, how objective might that be?
The cattlemen state: “America’s cattlemen remain committed to a simple goal: Continuing to produce the world’s safest beef.” That is not at all a “simple” goal, but if it appears to the beef producers that it is, they may be taking their responsibilities too lightly to protect our nation from contaminated meat.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention not as confident as America’s Beef Producers about safety from Mad Cow Disease of U.S. meat. The CDC is being neutral, but they admit that the last BSE-infected U.S. cow, reported as a downer in February 2006 by her rancher, was tagless without markings when she was declared to have BSE in March 2006 in Alabama. Her “herd of origin could not be identified despite an intense investigation,”[78] according to the Final Epidemiology report[79] filed in May 2006 by the USDA and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
U.S. meat contaminated by Listeria, a germ linked to fatal infections in the frail or elderly, to miscarriages, stillbirths, and to premature births. Listeria is a germ that “sickens an estimated 2,500 Americans” annually through contamination of food. Listeria has been responsible for many food recalls. “In these and other incidents, the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) has found that the food at issue might be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, which "can cause miscarriages in addition to serious illnesses for the elderly, the very young and those with chronic ailments."[80]
U.S. meat contaminated by Intralytix, a potent bacteriophage. “Intralytix contains six different viral strains designed to kill listeria, the germ [cited above] that sickens an estimated 2,500 Americans yearly. Meat companies do not have to inform consumers which products have been treated and which have not.”[81]
U.S. meat contaminated by industrial chemicals, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Industrial chemicals, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are environmental poisons that “accumulate, concentrate and store in animal fat. Many of these toxins have estrogenic effects. In other words, they act like estrogen in the body and accelerate cell division. Many studies have shown that these pesticides can trigger breast cancer and that those women who have high levels of these pesticides in their bodies have a much higher risk of breast cancer.”[82]
Question #2: Can eating meat cause catastrophic illness? The answer is yes.
Neal Barnard, M.D., et al. published a pioneering paper in 1992 that examined “The Medical Costs Attributable to Meat Consumption.” “The total direct medical costs attributable to meat consumption for 1992 are estimated at $28.6-61.4 billion,” “calculated in 1992 dollars.”[83] This estimate includes the prevalence of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease (including gallstones), obesity, and foodborne illness directly attributable to the consumption of meat. This was the first study to conclude that “health care costs attributable to meat consumption are quantifiable and substantial.”
Human consumption of meat had been implicated in heart disease, blood clots, and stroke, among other afflictions, long before 1992. Cardiologist John J. Pippin, M.D., is a Senior Medical and Research Advisor for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine of Washington, D.C. Dr. Pippin is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Nuclear Cardiology, and has been on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He has held other teaching, medical, research, and administrative positions of leadership. He is eminently qualified to speak of the relationship between meat consumption and heart disease.
A low-fat meat-free diet high in soluble fiber and soy protein lowers serum cholesterol concentrations “about as effectively as statin drugs.”[84] In his article, “The Politics of Heart Disease,” Dr. Pippin writes: “High-fat, meat-heavy diets also feed the obesity epidemic and the rapid spread of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. All three conditions are dangerous in their own right, but they are also strong risk factors for heart attack and stroke.”[85] Dr. Pippin notes that those who “take the opposite approach: a low-fat vegetarian diet . . . found that a meat-free diet high in soluble fiber and soy protein lowered serum cholesterol concentrations about as effectively as statin drugs,” per a 2003 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study.[86]
A vegetarian low-fat diet significantly lowers cholesterol levels in “six weeks.”[87] Other research finds that those who adopt a low-fat vegetarian diet have “a significant drop in cholesterol levels in just six weeks.”[88] The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) confirms that human populations that eliminate animal fats from the diet “do not develop atherosclerosis.”[89]
“Politics and economics consistently overrule science and health.”[90] Dr. Pippin laments that Americans don’t hear much about healthy diets “because the public education budgets of government agencies and nonprofit health organizations are dwarfed by the money spent on advertising by burger chains.”[91] “We’re open when you’re up.” “Fries with that?” “Have it your way.”
Special interest groups representing the dairy and meat industries have their way with the agencies and panels that determine school lunch programs, dietary guidelines and farm subsidies. Politics and economics consistently overrule science and health. This widespread ignorance and deception lead to widespread disease—and only a dramatic turnaround can head off a health care calamity. Does America have the willpower to make the necessary changes? That’s a tough question. But what is clear is that diet-related maladies will be one of the most challenging issues facing our nation’s leaders.”[92]
Red meat fat is a cause of our obesity crisis, which leads to degenerative diseases.
The British Medical Journal of December 15, 2007 cites increased consumption of high levels of saturated fats in meat and dairy products and the increasing availability of refined carbohydrates as a cause of the obesity epidemic, which is aggravated by a sedentary lifestyle.[93] Sharon Friel, Principal Research Fellow with the Commission on Social Determinants of Health at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK, and colleagues authored the article.
Excess weight, such as that caused by eating saturated fats in meat, disrupts hormonal balance in men and in women.
A study by The George Institute for International Health, Australia, published on October 15, 2007, analyzing “women's risk of colorectal cancer found obesity is the strongest risk factor for colorectal neoplasia, an even stronger association than smoking.”[94]
uary 16, 2007 • NVoluJanuary 16, 2007 • Volume 4 / Number 3 me 4 / Number 3January 16, 2007 • Volume 4 / Number 3N“A prospective [National Cancer Institute] study in the February 15 Cancer shows clearly that obese men are more likely to die from prostate cancer than men of normal weight, though no more likely to actually develop the disease.”[95]
“Dr. Margaret E. Wright from NCI's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) and colleagues said their finding confirms earlier reports of an obesity-prostate cancer mortality link, but is the first to show that weight gain after age 18 also increases the risk of dying from prostate cancer.”[96]
Red meat consumption raises blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP); high levels of CRP are linked to incidence and death from prostate cancer. Elevated CRP is also related to other diseases.
“Higher CRP [C-reactive protein] is associated with shorter survival and a lower probability of response to chemotherapy.”[97] ("This could mean that a simple blood test that is already available could help patients and doctors make better decisions as they become more informed about what to expect from the prostate cancer they are facing," said Tomasz Beer, M.D., director of the Prostate Cancer Research program at the OHSU [Oregon Health and Science University ] Cancer Institute.”)[98]
The paper, “Two Markers Strongly Linked To Prostate Cancer Incidence And Mortality Almost A Decade Prior To Diagnosis,” by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health find that C-reactive protein, a substance raised in the blood by eating red meat, is associated with incidence and death from prostate cancer.
“Increased levels of two markers of inflammation, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), are significantly associated with prostate cancer incidence and mortality almost a decade prior to diagnosis, say researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.”[99]
“They also found that elevated CRP in these men was associated with a two-fold increased risk of developing fatal prostate cancer, compared to men with the lowest levels of the protein.”[100]
"The results of this study provide further evidence that inflammation is involved in development and progression of prostate cancer," said the study's lead author, Jennifer Rider Stark.”[101]
“Researchers suspect that abnormal amounts of IL-6 and CRP are markers of biological processes involved in development of a number of diseases,”[102] not just cancer. “IL-6 is secreted by immune cells in response to infection or trauma, and it, in turn, stimulates synthesis of CRP in the liver, which is believed to play a role in response to infections and cellular damage control.[103] CRP has been found to be a marker of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and colon cancer.”[104]
Health benefits of meatlessness affect men and women, and include weight loss. Susan Levin, a staff dietician with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC., advises:
“[T]he best solution is to simply leave meat out of our diets. People who follow meatless diets tend to have lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels than meat-eaters. They also tend to be slimmer and have a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.”[105]
Diets high in red meat, especially processed meats, may increase risk of Type 2 diabetes in perimenopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal women.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School present a paper entitled, ”A Prospective Study of Red Meat Consumption and Type 2 Diabetes in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women” (The Women’s Health Study), published in the journal Diabetes Care, stating in summary:
“A diet high in red meat has long been suspected as an important and independent contributor to risk of type 2 diabetes.” “We found positive associations between intakes of red meat and processed meat and risk of type 2 diabetes.”[106] In conclusion, “Our data indicate that higher consumption of total red meat, especially various processed meats, may increase risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women.”[107]
Meatlessness can help reverse diabetes. Dr. Neal Barnard writes, “One recent study [his own], conducted with a grant from the National Institutes of Health, shows how a low-fat, vegan diet helps diabetes patients reduce and even eliminate their need for medication.”[108]
Meat doubles the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers report that eating much red meat may double your risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis.[109]
Red meat increases the risk of hypertension. Eat more plant food, less red meat to lower blood pressure.[110]
Red meat increases the risk of kidney disease. A vegan
diet is recommended. Avoiding animal products is essential. Animal proteins and sodium increase the risk of kidney stones.[111]
Animal proteins cause calcium to be leached from the bones and excreted in the urine where it can form stones. Diets rich in animal proteins also increase uric acid excretion. In a controlled research study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, research subjects on a diet eliminating animal protein had less than half the calcium loss that they had on their baseline diet.[112]
The Harvard study . . . found that even a modest increase in animal protein, from less than 50 grams to 77 grams per day, was associated with a 33 percent increased risk of stones in men. The same is true for women. The Nurses’ Health Study, a long-term study of health factors in a large group of women, revealed an even greater risk of stones from animal protein than was found in previous studies in men.[113]
Avoid animal products. Their proteins and sodium content increase risk of kidney stones. A vegan diet is recommended.
Hot dogs, bacon and cured or processed meats increase
the risk of lung disease.
A new study finds that eating cured meats is associated with an increased risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Researchers analyzed the consumption of cured meat products (bacon, hot dogs, and other processed meats) in 42,915 men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Those men consuming cured meats daily had more than two and half times the risk for COPD compared with those consuming these products rarely or never. The researchers speculate that cured meat may aggravate the effect of smoking on risk for COPD.[114]
The original study citation is Varraso R, Jiang R, Barr G, Willett WC, and Camargo CA. Prospective Study of Cured Meats Consumption and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Men. Am J Epidemiol. 2007. Published online September 4, 2007.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute indicts red meat as a major risk for several types of cancer.
“A daily quarter-pound hamburger or small pork chop could put you at increased risk for a variety of cancers, U.S. government health researchers report.”[115]
“Eating large amounts of red and processed meat leaves you at greater risk of cancer,”[116] a National Cancer Institute report warns. “One in ten cases of both lung and bowel cancer could be prevented if people cut down on beef, lamb, pork, sausages, ham and bacon, scientists say. Red meat also increases the risk of cancers of the liver and oesophagus, the study found. The research, involving nearly 500,000 people, adds to growing evidence that too much meat in the diet can be deadly. Health experts are increasingly concerned at the role of diet--particularly meat--in cancers.”[117]
“Last month, a report from the World Cancer Research Fund warned that red meat was a major contributor to the disease. Its scientists urged people to stop eating processed bacon, ham and sausages and consume no more than the equivalent of three 6oz steaks a week. The latest findings, published today in the science journal PLoS Medicine, reach a similar conclusion.”[118]
The “National Cancer Institute looked at the records of 494,000 people aged 50 to 71.”[119] “The biggest red meat eaters were 25 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with bowel cancer during the eight-year study, and 20 per cent more likely to develop lung cancer. For processed meat, the increased risk was 20 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.”[120]
On December 11, 2007, Amanda J. Cross of the Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, and colleagues published a report, “A Prospective Study of Red and Processed Meat Intake in Relation to Cancer Risk.” This project is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP Diet and Health Study. Funding was provided in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute.
The report states, “Both red and processed meat intakes were positively associated with cancers of the colorectum and lung; furthermore, red meat intake was associated with an elevated risk for cancers of the esophagus and liver.”[121]
In this large, prospective investigation of red and processed meat intake in relation to cancer risk, we found elevated risks for colorectal and lung cancer with both meat types. Red, but not processed, meat intake was also associated with increased risk for cancer of the esophagus and liver. We observed borderline statistically significant elevated risks for advanced prostate cancer with both red and processed meat intake, for laryngeal cancer with red meat, and for bladder cancer and myeloma and with processed meat intake.[122]
Also on December 11, 2007, a study was published by J.M. Genkinger and A. Koushik. Jeanine M. Genkinger is at the Department of Oncology, Division of Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, D. C. Anita Koushik is at the Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Their study, “Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk” states,“heterocyclic amines are classified as mutagens and animal carcinogens. These compounds and others present in meats (salts, nitrates, nitrites, heme iron, saturated fat, estradiol) have been theorized to increase DNA synthesis and cell proliferation, increase insulin-like growth factors, affect hormone metabolism, promote free radical damage, and produce carcinogenic heterocyclic amines, all of which may promote the development of cancer.”[123]
Referring to the work of Cross et al., they conclude, “In summary, red and processed meat intake appears to be positively associated with risk of cancer of the colon and rectum, esophagus, liver, lung, and pancreas in a new, large US cohort study of 500,000 men and women.”[124]
Meat and animal products rich in dietary fat
frequently increase cancer risk, while vegetarian fare
reduces cancer risk. Vegetarians have a much lower risk of
getting cancer, compared with those who eat meat.
Two themes consistently emerge from studies of cancer from many sites: vegetables and fruits help to reduce risk, while meat, animal products, and other fatty foods are frequently found to increase risk. Consumption of dietary fat drives production of hormones, which, in turn, promotes growth of cancer cells in hormone-sensitive organs such as the breast and prostate. Meat is devoid of the protective effects of fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and other helpful nutrients, and it contains high concentrations of saturated fat and potentially carcinogenic compounds, which may increase one’s risk of developing many different kinds of cancer.[125]
Vegetarian diets and diets rich in high-fiber plant foods such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits offer a measure of protection. Fiber greatly speeds the passage of food through the colon, effectively removing carcinogens, and fiber actually changes the type of bacteria that is present in the intestine, so there is reduced production of carcinogenic secondary bile acids. Plant foods are also naturally low in fat and rich in antioxidants and other anti-cancer compounds. Not surprisingly, vegetarians are at the lowest risk for cancer and have a significantly reduced risk compared to meat-eaters.[126]
Animal protein linked to osteoporosis, kidney damage. Dr. Barnard says, “Decades of evidence have linked animal protein to osteoporosis and kidney damage, and, of course, there is good, old-fashioned fat and cholesterol.”[127]
|
|
Meat (beef, pork, lamb) and fat in diet increase risk of pancreatic cancer. “Daily meat intake has been shown to be associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk.”[128] “Some of these studies have singled out beef and pork consumption and have concluded there is a higher risk for pancreatic cancer with a higher intake of these foods.”[129]
The Cancer Project (Dr. Neal Barnard, founder and president) reports:
A new study shows that meat consumption increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, one of the most serious forms of the disease. Researchers with the Multiethnic Cohort Study in Hawaii and Los Angeles followed 190,545 participants for seven years, finding that those who regularly consumed red meat (beef, pork, lamb) showed a 50 percent increase in cancer risk; and those who consumed the most processed meat (sausage, salami, bologna) showed a 70 percent increase in risk. The researchers speculate that carcinogens formed during the preparation of the beef, pork, and lamb products may be to blame.[130]
The source for this report is: Nöthlings U, Wilkens LR, Murphy SP, Hankin, JH, Henderson BE, Kolonel LN. Meat and fat intake as risk factors for pancreatic cancer: the multiethnic cohort study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005;97:1458-65.
Meat-eaters are “up to 50 percent” more likely to get colon cancer than vegetarians are. Approximately 80 percent of colorectal cancer cases, the second most common cancer worldwide, is “attributable to diet.”
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide with an estimated 80 percent of cases attributable to diet. Previous research indicates that individuals who regularly eat processed or red meat are up to 50 percent more likely to develop colon cancer than individuals who avoid these foods altogether.[131]
The American Heart Assocation warns that saturated fats increase heart disease and stroke risk.
“Eating foods that contain high levels of saturated fats [such as red meat] raises your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease and stroke.”[132]
National Cancer Institute warns that eating meat, particularly well-done meat, may favor colorectal cancer and potential breast cancer.
Cooking certain meats at high temperatures may produce chemicals that are experimental animal carcinogens and are believed to be potential human carcinogens. Other studies have shown that high intakes of well-done, fried or barbecued meats may increase the risk of developing colorectal and potentially breast cancer.[133]
Harvard studies showed that daily meat eaters have approximately three times the colon cancer risk, compared to those who rarely eat meat.[134]
Dietary meat (beef, pork, lamb) raises the risk of
developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Meat consumption appears to increase the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a cancer of white blood cells. Data collected from 88,410 women in the Harvard Nurses' Health Study over a 14-year period showed that those eating beef, pork, or lamb daily were more than twice as likely to develop NHL, compared with those who consumed these products less often or not at all. Meats contain carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that form from creatine, amino acids, and sugars found in animal muscle tissues. Trans fats, commonly found in baked goods and snack foods, also increased risk. [135]
The message is to avoid meats and to check package labels for "partially hydrogenated oils," which signals that the product contains trans fats.[136] Trans fats are in process of becoming listed separately on product labels under fat content.
The source of this report is: Zhang S, Hunter DJ, Rosner BA, et al. Dietary fat and protein in relation to risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among women. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999;91:1751-8.
Eating red meat “substantially increases the risk of breast cancer.” Surgeon Christine Horner, M.D. warns: “Avoid eating red meat because it substantially increases the risk of breast cancer. Instead, favor a plant-based diet rich in organically grown fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”[137] Dr. Horner writes: “Research has shown beyond a scientific doubt that eating red meat is a serious risk factor for breast cancer. Many studies have shown that [postmenopausal] women who eat the most red meat have an 88 to 330 percent increased risk of this deadly disease.”[138]
Protein of red meat can cause breast cancer. “When animal protein is cooked, especially at high heat, structural changes occur in the protein, amino acids, and creatine—changes that create dangerous new carcinogens. A study from Uruguay found that red-meat protein is associated with a 220 to 770 percent increased risk of breast cancer!”[139]
Consumption of saturated fats in red meat can cause
breast cancer.
Saturated animal fats (a type of lipid) from red meat . . .are poisonous to your body. These lipids make the cells in your body more resistant to insulin. As a result, your insulin levels go up. High insulin levels are lethal. In fact, they are one of the biggest risk factors for breast cancer. Research shows that women with the highest insulin levels have a 283 percent greater risk of breast cancer.[140]
There are two other ways that saturated animal fat can raise your risk of breast cancer, as well. First, saturated animal fat is converted into a carcinogenic substance by the bacteria in your colon. Second, oxygen free radicals have a tendency to attack and damage these types of fats, changing them into powerful stimulators of inflammation, and inflammation fuels the growth of breast cancer.[141]
Red meat, both processed and unprocessed, is
linked to a 35 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer.
In a study that observed nearly half a million people, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition reported that eating 160 grams or more of red and processed meat daily (highest intake group) led to a 35% increased risk for colorectal cancer when compared with eating 20 grams (lowest intake group) or less per day (hazard ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval crosses zero, however P-value for trend across groups =.03).[142]
“Even after adjusting for age, gender, height, weight, energy intake, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, intake of dietary fiber and folate, the researchers found a strong association between red meat consumption and an increased colorectal cancer risk.”[143]
The definition of “[r]ed meat included all fresh, minced, and frozen beef, veal, pork, and lamb. Processed meats were primarily pork and beef and included salami, bacon, sausage, tinned meat, paté, and deli cuts. Most processed meats contain fat, sugar, salt, nitrates, phosphates, and spices. Fish included all fresh, canned, salted, and smoked fish.”[144]
I do not recommend that seniors eat meat. Hormone- and antibiotic-infused meat can be especially harsh to the immune systems of those over 50, and meat’s acidity may wreak havoc with your digestion, and homocysteine may increase circulatory problems (a study in Stroke:Journal of the American Heart Association shows that even moderately elevated homocysteine may triple your risk for Alzheimer’s Disease[145] and increase your risk of stroke five-fold,[146]), and increase your risk of heart disease, and your C-reactive protein, a predictor of prostate cancer, heart disease and stroke risk, may rise. Whatever the animals were fed may also compromise your health--but if you must fire up the barby, no matter what, because the grandkids must have fast food, then try giving them a veggie burger on whole grain or Essene bread with all the fixin’s.
Never defrost meat on the counter, nor use a microwave. If, however, you absolutely do need to prepare any meat, try to get organic meat, and please follow these safety directions: “To prevent E. coli from developing in meat when you prepare it at home always cook it to at least 155 degrees. Also, don't defrost meat on the counter. Use a refrigerator.”[147] I do not recommend use of a microwave for defrosting, or for cooking.
Cook meat well enough to kill bacteria, but do not overcook it. Robert Turesky, a biochemical toxicologist with the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, says, "Meat needs to be cooked enough to kill E. coli or salmonella, but if you eat a lot of charred, burnt meat, it's very likely to be unhealthy."[148] So is beef tartare (raw chopped meat). So is any meat.
“Eating meat is a major cause of world hunger.” Another vital reason to give up meat, according to Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington, D.C., is that “Meat makes the rich ill and the poor hungry.”[149] Rifkin writes:
“Despite the rich diversity of foods found all over the world, one third of its population does not have enough to eat. Today, hunger is a massive problem in many parts of Africa,...” [Gary’s stats here for the astronomical number of African children who suffer and die each day of preventable hunger.]
“This misery is partly a direct result of our desire to eat meat. Children in the developing world starve next to fields of food destined for export as animal feed, to support the meat-hungry cultures of the rich world. While millions die, one third of the world's grain production is fed to farmed animals in rich countries.”[150]
“Currently farmed animals eat one-third of the world’s cereal production.” ”In the United States, farmed animals, mostly cattle, consume almost twice as much grain as is eaten by the entire US population.” 70 per cent of all the wheat, corn and other grain produced goes to feeding animals.[151]
“If animal farming were to stop and we were to use the land to grow grain to feed ourselves, we could feed every single person on this planet. Consuming crops directly - rather than feeding them to animals and then eating animals - is a far more efficient way to feed the world.”[152]
People go hungry because much of arable land is used to grow feed grain for animals rather than people. In the US, 157 million tons of cereals, legumes and vegetable protein – all suitable for human consumption – is fed to livestock to produce just 28 million tons of animal protein in the form of meat.[153]
In developing countries, using land to create an artificial food chain has resulted in misery for hundreds of millions of people. An acre of cereal produces five times more protein than an acre used for meat production; legumes such as beans, peas and lentils can produce 10 times more protein and, in the case of soya, 30 times more.[154]
Global corporations which supply the seeds, chemicals and cattle and which control the slaughterhouses, marketing and distribution of beef, eagerly promote grain-fed livestock. They equate it with a country’s prestige and climbing the “protein ladder” becomes the mark of success.[155]
The land in poor countries is still largely not owned by the people who work on it and rents are high. Huge areas are owned by large companies based in the West. It is common for people to be thrown off the land, often going to the towns where there is little other work. About 160,000 people move from rural areas to cities every day. Many migrants are forced to settle in shanty towns and squatter settlements.[156]
“Much of this land is used to grow “cash crops” for export - like coffee, tobacco and animal feed - rather than to grow food for indigenous people. Countries agree to grow cash crops in order to pay off their crippling debts.”[157]
The sad irony is that the world produces more than enough plant food to meet the needs of all its six billion people. If people used land to grow crops to feed themselves, rather than feeding crops to animals, then there would be enough to provide everyone with the average of 2360 Kcal (calories) needed for good health.[158]
The affluent in wealthy countries are ‘dieting’ because they overeat, while millions in developing countries are ‘dying’ for lack of food.
826 million people around the world are seriously undernourished - 792 million people in developing countries and another 34 million in industrialised countries. Two billion people - one third of the global population - lack food security, defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as a “state of affairs where all people at all times have access to safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.” [159]
“Today, some 12 million children die annually of nutrition-related diseases. The Food and Agriculture Organization says, “Doubtless, far more are chronically ill.”[160]
Meat is a status symbol, not a necessity. We ate less meat in the 1950s, we had one TV, and most of us only had one house and one car. Our doors were unlocked and America was more of a Mayberry than a Mayhem.
In 2000, total meat consumption, including red meat, poultry and fish, reached 195 pounds per person — 57 pounds above the average annual consumption in the 1950s, according to the USDA Agriculture Fact Book, 2001-2002, the latest version. In all, Americans consumed about 7 pounds more red meat, 46 pounds more poultry and 4 pounds more fish and shellfish than in the 1950s.[161]
The results of our increase in consumption of animal flesh with its accompanying rise in food-borne infections, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, obesity, hypertension, and fatigue are notable, and preventable.
“People following vegetarian diets are up to 50 percent less likely than meat eaters to develop cancer.”[162] Dr. Barnard says, “It's time to wake up and smell the problem. Millions of Americans now say no to meat. As they do so, their cholesterol levels plummet. Their coronary arteries open up again. Their waistlines shrink, and their cancer rates drop 40 percent.” “Research has shown that people following vegetarian diets are up to 50 percent less likely than meat eaters to develop cancer.” “A healthy vegetarian diet could revolutionize the health of the nation.” [163]
Summary: Meat consumption is a key cause of “a major public health epidemic in this country.” [164] “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), which reports only what it believes to be a fraction of foodborne disease incidents, estimates that [with approximately an annual] 76 million illnesses” in America[165] “[f]ood poisoning claims 5,000 lives every year and causes 325,000 hospitalizations.”[166], [167], [168] “CDC's data reflect what CFA [Consumer Federation of America] calls ‘the lack of commitment at the highest levels of government to reducing foodborne illness.’"[169]
That is 200,000 Americans are sickened by a foodborne disease every day, of whom 900 are hospitalized and 14 die. The vast majority of these foodborne illnesses can be traced to the production, processing, or consumption of items of animal origin—meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs.[170]
There is evidence of the wide range, frequency and danger of meat contamination in fresh, frozen, and canned meat products. Frozen, canned, and fast foods also contain much salt and saturated fat, enemies of the elderly, but the low prices and convenience of these foods make them magnets for seniors on fixed incomes.
Famous products, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, and Arby’s are not infallibly safe, as seen among the following concluding samples of ongoing U.S. investigations of meat-borne illnesses:
Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Arby's, Ongoing Investigation January 2008[171], [172];
Salmonella - Safeway Ground Beef, Warning of December 20, 2007[173];
E. coli - Jeno's and Totino's Frozen Pepperoni Pizza, Class I USDA Recall of November 1, 2007[174]
McDonald’s and Burger King Norovirus Outbreaks of November 2007 and October 2007, Respectively[175], [176]
E. coli - Cargill/Sam's Club [Wal-mart], Ground Beef Recall of October 6, 2007[177]
E. coli - Topps Hamburger (Elizabeth, NJ) Update, Recall of September 25, 2007. Topps Recall Scandals Emerge, including Topps/USDA inspection failures,[178] import of infected Canadian beef trim,[179] and continued illicit (possibly nationwide[180]} retail sales of recalled meat
Botulism Scare at Castleberry’s Food Co. of Augusta, GA, Canned Meats Recall of July 2007; possible retail sales of recalled meat products[181]
How can you protect yourself from meat-borne illness? Finally, it boils down to a matter of trust. Can you rely upon food manufacturers, government inspections, supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, and delis to keep you safe from meat-borne illness? Will their power, famous names or advertised excellence protect you? Will their good intentions shield you? The reliable solution is this: when you stop eating meat, then you’re safe.
[1] Gary Null, Ph.D. and Martin Feldman, M.D. Reverse the Aging Process Naturally (New York: Villard Books,1996),12.
[2] Gary Null, Women’s Health Solutions (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2002),342
[3] Ibid.,316.
[4] Christine Horner, M.D., Dr. Christine Horner’s Natural Secrets for Breast Health: Breast Health Tip #20: Avoid Red Meat, Health World; accessed on November 30, 2007 http://www.healthy.net/scr/Column.asp?Id=695
[5] Dave Weich, Eric Schlosser Knows What You're Eating, an interview with Eric Schlosser, Powell’s City of Books, Powells.com,26 April 2001; accessed on November 30, 2007; http://www.powells.com/authors/schlosser.html
[7] Andrew Roe, Review of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation,San Francisco Chronicle, January 28,2001
[8] Susan Levin, Prevent E. coli by changing your diet, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 5, 2007 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum05beefnboct05,0,272815.story
[10] ABC News, Tainted-Beef Recall Sparks Consumer Concerns, Oct 1, 2007; http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3673585&page=1
[11] U.S. meat firm expands beef recall due to E.coli, Sep 29, 2007 http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=3669622
[12] Levin, Prevent E. coli by changing your diet, October 5, 2007
[13] Christian Nordqvist, Are Meat Recalls A Cause For Concern?, MedicalNewsToday.com, Oct 3,2007, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/84472.php
[14] Ibid.
[15] Topps Meat Co. Recalls Hamburgers, PHYSORG.com, Sep 26, 2007
[16] Weich, Schlosser interview, 2001
[17] Dramatic Changes In Global Meat Production Could Increase Risk Of Diseases, MedicalNewsToday.com,Sep 19, 2007;
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/82815.php
[20] Artificial hormones in U.S. beef, NewsTarget, 2006
[21] Growth hormones in beef linked to infertility, NewsInferno.com, December 7, 2007; http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/2159
[22] Ibid.
[23] ChiBeta: precision medical data mining (provides data from US National Library of Medicine and Medline); http://www.curehunter.com/public/keywordSummaryD004958.do; accessed on December 14, 2007
[24] Ibid.
[25] Bradford Duplisea, The real dope on beef hormones,reprinted by Canadian Health Coalition; this groundbreaking article appeared in 2001 in the Calgary Herald and Montreal Gazette; http://www.healthcoalition.ca/hormones.html; accessed on December 8, 2007
[26] Ibid.
[27] Revalor-H (trenbalone acetate and estradiol), Intervet, Inc. distributor, Millsford, Delaware; http://www.revalor.com/revalor-H.asp; accessed on December 14, 2007
[28] Duplisea, Beef hormones
[29] Revalor-IH (trenbalone acetate and estradiol), Intervet Inc. distributor, Millsford, Delaware; http://www.revalor.com/revalor-IH.asp; accessed on December 14, 2007
[30] Ibid.
[31] Duplisea, Beef hormones
[32] Ibid.
[33] Growth hormones in beef linked to infertility, newsinferno.com, December 7, 2007
[34] Duplisea, Beef hormones
[35] Ibid.
[36] Ibid.
[37] CDC, Potential health risks for DES sons, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services; www.cdc.gov/DES/consumers/about/concerns_sons.html; accessed on December 15, 2007
[38] Ibid.
[39] Duplisea, Beef hormones
[40] Artificial hormones linked to breast and prostate cancer, NewsTarget, 2006
[41] Ibid.
[42] Duplisea, Beef hormones
[43] Ibid.
[44] Ibid.
[45] Ibid.
[46] Artificial hormones linked to breast and prostate cancer, NewsTarget, 2006
[48] Duplisea, Beef hormones
[49]Horner, Avoid Red Meat, 2007
[50] Lauren Ornelas and Juliet Gellatley, A Report on the USA Pig Industry, Viva! USA, http://www.vivausa.org/campaigns/pigs/report.htm
[51] Growth hormones in beef linked to infertility, 2007
Natural Strategies to Rebalance Hormonal Health; http://www.vrp.com/articles.aspx?ProdID=art2046&zTYPE=2; accessed on December 14, 2007
[53] Low-fat, vegetarian diet may stall prostate cancer, Reuters UK, September 11, 2007; http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTON17435520070911
[55] Ibid.
[56] Ibid.
[58]Ibid.
[59]Ibid.
[60] Masumi Inaba, Androgenetic Alopecia: Modern Concepts of Pathogenesis (Hardcover) (New York: Springer-Verlag, Inc., Oct 1996).
[61]Ibid.
[62] David Tuller, SEX & MEDICINE: Gentlemen, Start Your Engines?, The New York Times, June 21, 2004; http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E0DE1239F932A15755C0A9629C8B63
[63]Nutrition and erectile dysfunction overview, Caring4Urology;
http://www.caring4urology.com/go/erectile/nutrition/nutrition-and-erectile-dysfunction-overview.htm; accessed on December 11, 2007
[64]Ibid.
[65] Study Shows Long Term Danger of Mad Cow Disease, International Herald Tribune - Europe, Published: June 23, 2006 http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/22/news/brain.php
[66]Ibid.
[67] Marc Kaufman, U.S. Officials Confirm Second Mad Cow Case, Washington Post, June 11, 2005, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061001933.html
[68] “Mad Cow Disease: Is the U.S.D.A. covering up an epidemic?” Organic Consumers Association; http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.cfm; accessed on Nov 30, 2007
[69] Ibid.
[70] Kozo Mizoguchi, Mad Cow USA: Japanese Consumption of US Imported Beef Has Declined 90%, Associated Press, July 27, 2007; reprinted from Forbes.com; http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6341.cfm
[71] Mad Cow Disease, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PRCM http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/mad_cow_disease.html
[72] Ibid.
[73] Ibid.
[74] Ibid.
[75] Ronnie Crimmins, OCA Executive Director,”Organic Consumers Association Responds to United Natural Foods CEO Michael Funk, Vows to Continue Boycott on Horizon, OCA:‘Michael Funk is representing the views of large companies, not the organic community,’” press release, Organic Consumers Association, May 7, 2007 http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5080.cfm
[76] Neal D. Barnard, The Mad Cow Threat: Is Beef Safe?, Good Medicine Magazine, Winter 2004, Volume XIII, Number 1, http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm04winter/gm04winter06.html
[77] About BSE. BSEInfo.org; http://www.bseinfo.org/index.aspx
[78] CDC BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) or Mad Cow Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dept of Health & Human Services, Content source: National Center for Infectious Diseases, May 18, 2007;
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/bse/; accessed on December 3, 2007
[79] Alabama BSE Investigation Final Epidemiology Report, USDA and APHIS, May 2,2006, http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/bse/content/printable_version/EPI_Final.pdf
[80] Definition of Listeria. MedicineNet.com
[81] Neal Barnard, Meat Too Tough to Eat, The Hartford Courant, Aug. 28, 2006, http://www.pcrm.org/news/082806.html
[82] Horner, Avoid Red Meat, 2007
[83] Neal D. Barnard, M.D., Andrew Nicholson, M.D., and Jo Lil Howard, The Medical Costs Attributable to Meat Consumption,
EVU News, Issue 1/1997, European Vegetarian Union.
[84] John J. Pippin, M.D., The Politics of Heart Disease. This article was published in the Buffalo News on Sept. 15, 2004. Reprinted in PCRM, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Wash. DC http://www.pcrm.org/news/Commentary09.15.04.html, accessed on November 29, 2007
[85] Ibid.
[86] Ibid.
[87] Ibid.
[88] Ibid.
[89] Ibid.
[90] Ibid.
[91] Ibid.
[92] Ibid.
[93] Sharon Friel, Mickey Chopra, and David Satcher "Unequal weight: equity oriented policy responses to the global obesity epidemic," British Medical Journal, Dec 15, 2007; 335:1241-1243; http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/335/7632/1241
[94] Obesity Strongest Risk Factor For Colorectal Cancer Among Women; Greater Than Smoking , Science Daily,
Oct. 15, 2007; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071214094112.htm
[95] Obesity and Weight Gain Linked to Prostate Cancer Mortality, NCI Cancer Bulletin, Vol.4, No. 3, January 16, 2007; National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health; http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/NCI_Cancer_Bulletin_011607/page4
[96] Ibid.
[98] Ibid.
[99] Two Markers Strongly Linked To Prostate Cancer Incidence And Mortality Almost A Decade Prior To Diagnosis, ScienceDaily ,Nov. 14, 2006; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061112235628.htm
[100] Ibid.
[101] Ibid.
[102] Ibid.
[103] Ibid.
[104] Ibid.
[105] Susan Levin, Prevent E. coli by changing your diet, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 5, 2007; http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum05beefnboct05,0,272815.story
[106] Yiqing Song, MD, JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DRPH, Julie E. Buring, SCD and Simin Liu, MD, SCD, A Prospective Study of Red Meat Consumption and Type 2 Diabetes in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women: The Women’s Health Study, Diabetes Care 27:2108-2115, 2004; http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/27/9/2108; accessed on December 1, 2007
[107] Ibid.
[108] Barnard, 2007 Cancer and Nutrition Symposium
[109] Red meat doubles rheumatoid arthritis risk, Medical News Today, Dec 6,2004 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/17374.php); accessed on Dec 1, 2007
[110] Eating more plant foods, less red meat lowers blood pressure, Foodconsumer.org, Dec 18, 2005, http://www.foodconsumer.org/cgi-bin/777/exec/view.cgi/6/2214
[111] Nutrition and Renal Disease, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PCRM http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/renal.html
[112] Ibid.
[113] Ibid.
[114] Hot Dogs and Bacon Cause Increased Risk for Lung Disease, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Breaking Medical News, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PRCM, September 12, 2007, abstracted from Varraso R, Jiang R, Barr G, Willett WC, and Camargo CA. Prospective Study of Cured Meats Consumption and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Men. Am J Epidemiol. 2007. Published online September 4, 2007. http://www.pcrm.org/news/archive070912.html
[115] High meat consumption linked to elevated cancer risk
Study was the largest to examine the effects of red and processed meats on types of cancer, The Indianapolis Star, December 16, 2007;
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/NATIONWORLD/712160355/1083/LIVING01&template=printart
[116] Red meat 'can raise the risk of cancer by 25 per cent,' Daily Mail, December 10, 2007; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=501165&in_page_id=1774&ICO=HEALTH&ICL=TOPART
[117] Ibid.
[118] Ibid.
[119] Ibid.
[120] Ibid.
[121] Cross AJ, Leitzmann MF, Gail MH, Hollenbeck AR, Schatzkin A, et al. A Prospective Study of Red and Processed Meat Intake in Relation to Cancer Risk. PLoS Med 4(12): e325, December 11, 2007; http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0040325
[122] Ibid.
[123] Genkinger JM, Koushik A Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk. PLoS Med 4(12): e345, Dec. 11, 2007; http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040345&ct=1
[124] Ibid.
[125] Cancer Facts - Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk, The Cancer Project, http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_cancer/facts/meat.php
[126] Ibid.
[127] Neal D. Barnard, M.D., president of PCRM, The Mad Cow Threat: Is Beef Safe?, Good Medicine Magazine, Winter 2004• Volume XIII, Number 1, http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm04winter/gm04winter06.html
[128] Cancer Facts - Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk, The Cancer Project, http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_cancer/facts/meat.php
[129] Ibid.
[130] Meat and Fat Intake Increase Risk of Pancreatic Cancer, The Cancer Project, http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_cancer/type/pancreatic/meat.php
[131] Why Red Meat May Lead to Colorectal Cancer, The Cancer Project News, Spring 2006, http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_cancer/type/colon/red_meat.php,
[132] Ibid.
[133] Ibid.
[134] Cancer Facts - Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk, The Cancer Project, http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_cancer/facts/meat.php
[135] Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma risk (Meat Raises Non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma Risk, The Cancer Project, http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_cancer/type/lymphoma.php)
[136] Ibid.
[137] Ibid.
[138] Ibid.
[139] Horner,“Avoid Red Meat,” 2007
[140] Ibid.
[141] Ibid.
[142]Katrina Woznicki, Big Study Links Red Meat to Colorectal Cancer, MedPageToday, June 15, 2005 http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/ColonCancer/tb1/1200; accessed on December 1, 2007
[143] Ibid.
[144] Ibid.
[145] Moderately High Homocysteine Tied To Stroke, Alzheimer’s Risk, ScienceDaily, Oct 4, 2002, quoting from Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, October 2002; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/10/021004064826.htm
[146] Ibid.
[147] ABC News, Tainted-Beef Recall, Oct 1, 2007
[148] Van Dusen, Meat can be murder on long-term health,April 27, 2007
[149] Jeremy Rifkin, Feed the World- Why eating meat is a major cause of world hunger - and going vegetarian is a solution. Viva! Vegetarians International Voice for Animals, http://www.viva.org.uk/guides/feedtheworld.htm
[150] Ibid.
[151] Ibid.
[152] Ibid.
[153] Ibid.
[154] Ibid.
[155] Ibid.
[156] Ibid.
[157] Ibid.
[158] Ibid.
[159] Ibid.
[160] Van Dusen, Meat can be murder on long-term health, April 27, 2007
[161] Ibid.
[162] Neal Barnard, M.D., 2007 Cancer & Nutrition Symposium; http://www.cancerproject.org/Symposium/bios/barnard.php; accessed on December 4, 2007
[163] Ibid.
[164] Mindy S. Kursban, Esq., Staff Counsel, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Citizen Petition to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service Requesting Administrative Action to Prevent and Warn Consumers About Fecal Contamination of Meat and Poultry, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, D.C., August 29, 2001; http://www.pcrm.org/news/petition.pdf
[165] Ibid.
[166] CDC Reports Progress on Foodborne Illness Stalled in 2006, Consumeraffairs.com, April 16, 2007; http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/04/food_safety.html
[167] Kursban,Esq. PCRM Petition to USDA-FSIS, 2001
[168]How many cases of foodborne disease are there in the United States? CDC, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases: Foodborne Illness, October 25, 2005; http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm#howmanycases; accessed on January 3, 2008
[169] CDC Reports Progress on Foodborne Illness Stalled in 2006, April 2007
[170] Kursban,Esq. PCRM Petition to USDA-FSIS, 2001
[171] Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Arby's, Foodborne
Illness Featured Topics, Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, Minneapolis,MN;
http://www.pritzkerlaw.com/section-foodborne-illness/salmonella/arbys-lawsuit.htm
[172] Arby’s Salmonella, Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, Minneapolis,MN; http://www.pritzkerlaw.com/section-foodborne-illness/salmonella/arbys-lawsuit.htm
[173] USDA-FSIS ALERT: FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Ground Beef Products Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, December 20, 2007; http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_122007_01/index.asp
[174] Ohio Firm Recalls Frozen Meat Pizzas Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination; USDA-Food Safety & Inspection Service(FSIS), November 1, 2007; http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news/Recall_049_2007_Release/index.asp
[175] Burger King, McDonalds Linked to Norovirus in
Minnesota, Food Poisoning Blog, Parker Waichman Alonso LLP, November 7, 2007; http://food-poisoning-blog.com/2007/11/07/burger-king-mcdonalds-linked-to- norovirus-in-minnesota/
[176] McDonald's Norovirus Outbreak, Food Poisoning Law Blog, Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, Minneapolis,MN, November 10, 2007; http://foodpoisoning.pritzkerlaw.com/archives/norovirus-mcdonalds-norovirus-outbreak.html
[177] Amanda Eamich, Wisconsin Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination, Class I Recall: High Health Risk, (news release), USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service, October 6, 2007;
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_042_2007_Release/index.asp
This was a Class I USDA Recall; Health Risk: High, which means, “This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”
[178] Laura Reiser, FSIS Provides Update on Topps Meat Company Recall Investigation, (news release), USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, October 26, 2007; http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/NR_102607_01/index.asp
[179] Topps Ground Beef Recall, E. Coli Outbreak Started
with Canadian Beef, NewsInferno.com, October 31, 2007; http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/1980
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/11/nj_topps.html; accessed on January 3, 2008
[181] Doug McGraw, Castleberry’s Updates Status of National Canned Food Recall: Officials Express Urgent Need for Retailers and Consumers to Identify and Discard Recalled Items, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (press release), August 1, 2007; http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/castleberry08_07.html