WHY EATING RED MEAT CAUSES CANCER

SCIENTIST FINALLY DISCOVER WHY EATING RED MEAT CAUSES CANCER

A new study out of the University of California, San Diego has discovered the culprit behind why eating red meat leads to higher instances of cancer -and it all has to do with a sugar.

Humans are the only animals that have a higher risk of cancer when it comes to eating red meat, as other carnivores eat red meat naturally with no ill side effects. The study, which was published December 29 in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” discovered that a unique sugar named Neu5Gc, found in most mammals but not in humans, triggers an immune response that in turn causes inflammation.

Ajit Varki, who led the study, explained the effect Neu5Gc had in mice: “Until now, all of our evidence linking Neu5Gc to cancer was circumstantial or indirectly predicted from somewhat artificial experimental setups … This is the first time we have directly shown that mimicking the exact situation in humans – feeding non-human Neu5Gc and inducing anti-Neu5Gc antibodies -increases spontaneous cancers in mice.”

 

This particular sugar can be found in red meats (using the nutritional definition of red meat, which includes pork and other livestock), cow’s milk and certain cheeses. Unfortunately for humans, our bodies can’t produce this sugar naturally, so when it is absorbed into our tissues, it is seen as a foreign invader. This then leads to the activation of our immune systems.

The result is inflammation.

And, while inflammation is not a great thing, in and of itself, it gets worse. If the immune system is subject to Neu5GC frequently, chronic inflammation will result. This inflammation can then lead to cancer. Those who regularly consume red meat will definitely suffer a stronger reaction than those who ingest red meat on an occasional basis.

Other animals, strict carnivores, who can make the Neu5GC sugar can eat red meats. Humans, not being strict carnivores, can’t. Therefore it seems clear that humans must avoid red meat consumption or face inflammation and possible cancer. At the minimum, reducing red meat ingestion will boost health.

If for some reason you believe eating red meat every day (even if it is grass-fed) isn’t a bad thing, well now you have proof. Sorry, meat eaters, humans just aren’t built to be true carnivores.

'Caviar of protein': Old Mill Creek store stocks exotic

meat

Beth Kaplan, a co-owner of Blackwing Meats and Old Mill Creek Country Store, talks with Andrew Lawrence, one of the butchers near the store's meat counter. (Angelica LaVito / Lake County News-Sun)

Angelica LaVitoNews-Sun

Old Mill Creek Country Store's meat counter looks like a normal meat counter. It displays ground beef and beef steaks, but unlike most others, it also displays ground bison, elk steak, venison striploin and wild boar Italian sausage.

The products shown are just a few of the offerings from its sister company, Blackwing Meats. When husband and wife owners Roger Gerber and Beth Kaplan say they offer everything from tongue to tail, they really mean it.

"When people ask us if we have tongue, we say, 'Don't give us any lip,"' Gerber said.

As Americans grow increasingly health-conscious, alternatives to unhealthy foods have become more popular. Some people who love beef but not the calories and saturated fats have turned to exotic meats for a substitute.

Elk strip steaks, elk ribeye steaks and bison sirloin steaks are displayed at Old Mill Creek Country Store. (Angelica LaVito / Lake County News-Sun)

Bison has become a common alternative to beef. It tastes nearly identical but contains less fat and calories. Demand for it has grown in the double digits for the past six years, according to the National Bison Association. Blackwing distributes between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds of it per week.

"I do tell people that bison is a much better alternative than higher-fat beef products," said Colleen DeBoer, a clinical dietitian at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Grayslake Outpatient Center.

Gerber and Kaplan live and encourage healthy lifestyles. They began distributing ostrich meat in 1997 from a kosher farm in South Dakota. The farmer convinced them to get into the bison business, and they continued to expand. They now offer beef, bison, elk, venison, antelope, lamb, pork, wild boar, chevon goat, ostrich, emu, chicken, turkey, pheasant, guinea and Cornish hen, goose and quail, and Muscovy, Pekin and Rouen duck.

Blackwing's supplies more than 3,600 retailers and restaurants including the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. The company also fills online orders nationwide, and it opened Old Mill Creek Country Store in April so local customers could buy their meats in person. Gerber and Kaplan ran the business out of their garage and caretaker's home at their Antioch house before they opened the 24,000 square foot retail store, processing center and office.

Beth Kaplan and Roger Gerber, husband and wife co-owners of Blackwing Meats and Old Mil Creek Country Store, opened the store in April so local customers could physically purchase Blackwing meat and exotic meat products. (Angelica LaVito / Lake County News-Sun)

"People come from Chicago. People come from Deerfield, and Deerfield has a magnificent Whole Foods right on Deerfield Road," Kaplan said. "They all come because the pricing and they can't find the meats we have at Whole Foods."

New customers who come into the physical store may have never tried or even heard of some of the products and are sometimes afraid to try them.

"Fear is the unknown. And part of the problem is because they've never either eaten or prepared bison, elk, venison, antelope, wild boar, it's gotta be mystical and mysterious," Gerber said. "The fact of the matter is they're part of the venison family or they're part of the bovine or they're a hog. There's not much difference, beside maybe you cook it a little faster."

Mikki Markowicz drove past the store all the time on her way from her Lake Geneva home to her clients in the Chicago suburbs. She decided to stop in one day to see what was going on inside.

Since that first visit, Markowicz has tried all of the exotic meats. Her favorite is bison, though she loves them all.

"I'm in here every week," Markowicz said.

She loves to cook and has prepared the different meats for her friends and relatives. So far, "everybody loves it."

The only exotic meat that flopped at Blackwing is alligator, according to Gerber.

"It's garbage," Gerber said. "It tastes like rubber."

Beth Kaplan and Roger Gerber, husband and wife co-owners of Blackwing Meats and Old Mil Creek Country Store, opened the store in April so local customers could physically purchase Blackwing meat and exotic meat products. (Angelica LaVito / Lake County News-Sun)

Bison is the most popular of Blackwing's exotic meats. Though the company got its start selling ostrich meat, ostrich farms have dwindled over the years, causing the price to skyrocket.

"Ostrich is the caviar of protein," Kaplan said. "We used to sell it to restaurants, but we can't supply it."

Blackwing still sells ostrich, but elk has replaced it as an accessible high-protein, low-calorie red meat option. Some elk can taste gamey, but Kaplan said the elk Blackwing sells "flies out the door."

"If it didn't have a label on it, you would think it's beef," Kaplan said.

For now, Gerber and Kaplan are focused on making the new store successful. They are interested in expanding in the future, Kaplan said, and they already have offers on property in Chicago.

14 Cancer-Causing Foods You Should NEVER Put In Your Mouth Again

More than 50% of cancers can be prevent by changes in the diet and lifestyle. This was stated by The American Institute For Cancer.

That is why we should be really aware of the food we are consuming and the habits we have in our life. The following foods must be eliminated from your diet in order to prevent cancer:

1. White flour – What increase your toxic load is the seeds because they are treated with fungicide and afterwards the plants are sprayed with pesticides. And then they will be harvested and stored in bins coated with insecticides.2. Sugar – There is no reason why we should explain why sugar is bad for the human health, and it can be the reason for cancer too. Make sure you avoid or eliminate completely sugar from your diet (pastas, carbs, breads, many fruits, grains).

3. Soda/Sports drinks – They contain high amounts of sugar, fructose corn syrup, dyes, brominated vegetable oil and many other chemicals.

4. Soy protein isolate – They contain many anti-nutrients that can cause trouble in the process of digesting food and absorbing nutrients into the blood stream. The worst part is that goes through highly industrial manufacturing process of acid washing in aluminum tanks and we know how much aluminum can be dangerous for the human health.

5. Refined sugars – The cause of many serious health diseases such as heart disease, blood triglyceride levels, obesity, immune suppression, arthritis, high level of unhealthy blood fats and many more. It can be the cause for cancer also.

6. Processed foods – Another good reason to avoid eating processed foods. They contain high amount of white flours, sugars, oils, colors, flavorings and many other ingredients that can do harm to the body.

7. Non organic fruits and veggies – If the fruits and veggies have been grown with pesticides, herbicides and GMO seeds you should avoid them. They will do more harm than good to your body.

8. Microwave popcorn – Many chemicals leach into the popcorn when heated and afterwards you consume them all in your body. They can cause many health problems and they can be the reason for cancer.

9. Hydrogenated oils – Not a product that comes from the nature – that means it is a product that man has invented. It contains many chemicals that can cause heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It can cause cancer as well.

10. Grilled meat – PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) can be produced while burning of coal or wood. To make things worse when there is a smoke that allows the PAHs to ‘stack’ on the food you are cooking and that is increasing your chance of getting cancer.

11. GMOs – These GMO foods should be eliminated from your diet. That means that your diet should have GMO free foods.

12. Farmed fish – It is no wonder why farm fish can be unhealthier than wild fish. They are treated in the unnatural way.

13. Cured and smoked foods – N-nitroso compounds are associated with increased risk of cancer. And nitrites and nitrates can change into N-nitroso compounds when cooked. Nitrites and nitrates are used to prevent food from spoiling.

14. BPA lined cans – Food that is in hard plastic or metal cans can increase your chance of getting cancer. Consume food from can if is only labeled as BPA free.