Is Beef Nutritional or Carcinogenic? An article tells you the answer, keep your mouth shut
32-year-old Ms. Li is usually busy with work, and basically order takeaways for three meals a day.
A month ago, Ms. Li began to experience abdominal distention, constipation , and sometimes blood in the stool. She mistakenly thought that she had hemorrhoids, so she didn't pay attention to it.
Recently, her symptoms have become more and more serious. She is always pale, her limbs are weak, and her stomach cramps. Her body is really uncomfortable, so she went to the hospital for medical treatment.
Unexpectedly, the test results showed that Ms. Li was suffering from bowel cancer, and it was already in an advanced stage. The doctor pointed out that the cause of Ms. Li's bowel cancer may be related to her frequent take-out meals, especially her favorite beef dishes.
Why is eating beef linked to cancer? Does beef really cause cancer?
1. Is beef good for nutrition?
Chinese medicine believes that beef has the functions of nourishing the spleen and stomach, strengthening the muscles and bones, and nourishing the middle and replenishing qi.
Modern medicine believes that beef is rich in protein, and the protein content of every 100 grams of beef is as high as 19.9 grams, and the amino acid composition of beef protein is closer to the human body's needs, and the human body has a higher absorption and utilization rate. In addition, beef is also rich in heme iron, containing about 3.3 mg of iron per 100 grams of beef.
Eating beef properly at ordinary times can increase muscle and enhance strength due to its high creatine content . Rich in various trace elements and protein, it can also promote nutritional balance to a certain extent and maintain immunity.
Beef is good, but not for everyone. Patients with liver and kidney diseases should not eat more beef, because too much beef protein will increase the burden on the liver and kidneys; people with febrile diseases , such as itchy skin, eczema, nosebleeds, wind-heat cough and sores on the tongue, etc. It is also not suitable for patients to eat beef, because beef is a warm food, and eating it may not be conducive to the recovery of the disease.
Second, beef can cause cancer?
On March 15, 2021, an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found a novel pathogen, "beef and milk factor," in dairy products and bovine serum, which researchers believe should be considered indirect carcinogens. Studies have found that "beef and milk factors" can induce local chronic inflammation, resulting in an increase in reactive oxygen species, which may promote the occurrence and development of cancer in the long term. The findings suggest a causal relationship between milk and beef consumption and the development of colorectal cancer.
**Many studies link red meat with cancers of the esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, lung, prostate, breast, ovary, and endometrial, especially colorectal cancer.
One of the possible causes of carcinogenicity of red meat is that the content of heme in red meat is high. When heme enters the body's intestines, it will be decomposed into "N-nitroso compounds" , which can cause The DNA of the cells lining the digestive system is damaged and genetic mutations occur, which in turn promote the growth of cancer cells.
The World Health Organization has classified red meat as a Class 2A carcinogen, which is a substance with high carcinogenic potential. This kind of substance has been officially confirmed to have a carcinogenic effect in animal experiments, but there is a lack of experimental data involving human body. its effect on the human body.
However, the carcinogenicity classification is not the same as the carcinogenic intensity , and there is no necessary connection to the actual threat to humans. At present, there is no sufficient evidence that red meat can cause cancer in humans.
Although eating more red meat is unhealthy, it doesn't mean you can't eat red meat at all . According to the recommendation of the Chinese Nutrition Society, as long as the daily intake of animal food does not exceed 200 grams (including 50-75 grams of livestock and poultry) for adults, it will not affect human health.
Dietitian Ruan Guangfeng also said that the World Cancer Foundation has conducted a relevant assessment and found that as long as the weekly intake of red meat is controlled within 500 grams, it will not increase the risk of bowel cancer.
Third, it is recommended to eat less meat in this way
Although beef is eaten in moderation, it is good for the body. But there are hundreds of ways to make meat, and not all of them are healthy. Eating the following types of meat may increase the risk of disease or even cancer. It is recommended to eat less.
1. Processed meat
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified processed meat as a class 1 carcinogen, which means that it is highly carcinogenic to humans. Related research data also show that potentially carcinogenic chemicals such as N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed after meat processing.
Consumption of processed meat is clearly associated with a variety of cancers, especially colorectal cancer. People who ate an average of 50 grams of processed meat a day had an 18% increased risk of colorectal cancer, and the risk of cancer increased with the amount eaten.
Processed meat is meat that has been cured, fermented, smoked, or otherwise transformed to enhance flavor or improve preservation, such as ham, sausage, hot dogs, jerky, canned meat, meat sauces, and processed animal offal or blood. .
2. BBQ meat
Epidemiological studies have found that people who eat barbecued meat have a higher risk of colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. This is because meat will produce carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrogens and heterocyclic amines during the barbecue process.
Whether it is beef, pork, poultry, fish, or other aquatic products, carcinogens will be produced after being roasted at high temperature. Generally speaking, the higher the fat, amino acid and creatine content of meat, the longer the roasting time and the more charred the meat, the higher the content of carcinogens.
Therefore, it is recommended to eat less barbecue at ordinary times. If you really want to eat it, you should also pay attention to details such as baking time and heat.
3. Bloody pig, steak
Pork and beef may contain intestinal parasites called tapeworms . If you eat bloody pigs and steaks, it is easy to eat tapeworm eggs into your body.
When the tapeworm eggs enter the intestinal tract, they will develop into adult tapeworms and attach to the intestinal wall, and will continue to give birth to new segments, which can be up to ten meters long. After infection with tapeworms, patients experience dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, malnutrition and other symptoms. In severe cases, invasive infection can even be life-threatening. Therefore, when eating pork chops and steaks every day, it is best to eat fully cooked, so as to be safer.
Beef is rich in nutrients and healthy when eaten in moderation, so there is no need to completely ban it. And cancer is not caused by a single factor. As long as you control your daily meat intake, you don't have to worry about eating beef causing cancer.
References:
[1]Bund T, Nikitina E, Chakraborty D, Ernst C, Gunst K, Boneva B et al. Analysis of chronic inflammatory lesions of the colon for BMMF Rep antigen expression and CD68 macrophage interactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2021;118(12).
[2] Eating beef makes people stronger? Does beef cause cancer? Can you eat beef happily? .Nutritionist Ruan Guangfeng, 2021-02-20
[3] Can eating meat cause cancer? Choose your cooking method carefully! .Guangzhou Daily, 2015-11-08
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