According to the World Cancer Research Fund, Processed Meats Declared Too Dangerous for Human Consumption. Consumers should stop buying and eating all processed meat products for the rest of their lives.

sodium nitrite is what american companies put on meat to 'treat' bacteria. Basically, processed meats are 'medicated' with sodium nitrate. It has to do with the CYA businnes attitude which is then transfered to the food. I guess this is a secondary effect effect of a lawsuit based (fear based) industralized mentality. If it is legal is healthy, but 30 years later they 'discover' it is cancerous. Red meats (or white meats) have way many other negative side effects the article does not mention but it is in wikipedia.

DANGERS OF: milk, meat, sheep, chicken, seafood, pork, beef,eggs, etc.

[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

Well, it looks like that article may have overstated the World Cancer Research Fund's position. Here is their actual position:

World Cancer Research Fund International recommends avoiding processed meat. This is the conclusion of an independent panel of leading scientists who, following the biggest review of international research ever undertaken, judged the evidence that processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer to be convincing. This review was done in 2007 and was subsequently confirmed in 2011.

There is a continual, growing body of scientific evidence that highlights the health risks of eating processed meat. It is estimated that there would be 4,000 fewer cases of bowel cancer in the UK if people consumed less than 70g of processed meat a week (equivalent to three rashers of bacon). This is why we recommend people avoid it. The articles talking about processed meat being 'too dangerous for human consumption' are unhelpful and scaremongering. We would say that if people can't cut out processed meat completely they should cut down. WCRF International advocates a sensible, healthy, balanced diet.

Our response to social media story on processed meat

this is what wikipedia says

[en.wikipedia.org]

While this chemical will prevent the growth of bacteria, it can be toxic in high amounts for animals, including humans. Sodium nitrite's LD50 in rats is 180 mg/kg and its human LDLo is 71 mg/kg, meaning a 65 kg person would likely have to consume at least 4.615 g to result in death.[15] To prevent toxicity, sodium nitrite (blended with salt) sold as a food additive is dyed bright pink to avoid mistaking it for plain salt or sugar. Nitrites are a normal part of human diet, found in most vegetables.[16][17][18] Nitrite levels in 34 vegetable samples, including different varieties of cabbage, lettuce, spinach, parsley and turnips ranged between 1.1 and 57 mg/kg, e.g. white cauliflower (3.49 mg/kg) and green cauliflower (1.47 mg/kg).[16][19] Boiling vegetables lowers nitrate but not nitrite.[16] Fresh meat contains 0.4-0.5 mg/kg nitrite and 4–7 mg/kg of nitrate (10–30 mg/kg nitrate in cured meats).[18] The presence of nitrite in animal tissue is a consequence of metabolism of nitric oxide, an important neurotransmitter.[20] Nitric oxide can be created de novo from nitric oxide synthase utilizing arginine or from ingested nitrate or nitrite.[21] Most research on the negative effects of nitrites on humans predates the discovery of nitric oxide's importance to human metabolism and human endogenous metabolism of nitrite.[citation needed]
Humane toxin for feral hogs/wild boar control

Because of sodium nitrite's high level of toxicity to swine (Sus scrofa) it is now being developed in Australia to control feral pigs and wild boar.[22][23] The sodium nitrite induces methemoglobinemia in swine, i.e., it reduces the amount of oxygen that is released from hemoglobin, so the animal will feel faint and pass out, and then die in a humane manner after first being rendered unconscious.[24]
Nitrosamines

A principal concern about sodium nitrite is the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in meats containing sodium nitrite when meat is charred or overcooked. Such carcinogenic nitrosamines can also be formed from the reaction of nitrite with secondary amines under acidic conditions (such as occurs in the human stomach) as well as during the curing process used to preserve meats. Dietary sources of nitrosamines include US cured meats preserved with sodium nitrite as well as the dried salted fish eaten in Japan. In the 1920s, a significant change in US meat curing practices resulted in a 69% decrease in average nitrite content. This event preceded the beginning of a dramatic decline in gastric cancer mortality.[25] About 1970, it was found that ascorbic acid (vitamin C), an antioxidant, inhibits nitrosamine formation.[26] Consequently, the addition of at least 550 ppm of ascorbic acid is required in meats manufactured in the United States. Manufacturers sometimes instead use erythorbic acid, a cheaper but equally effective isomer of ascorbic acid. Additionally, manufacturers may include alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) to further inhibit nitrosamine production. Alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and erythorbic acid all inhibit nitrosamine production by their oxidation-reduction properties. Ascorbic acid, for example, forms dehydroascorbic acid when oxidized, which when in the presence of nitrous anhydride, a potent nitrosating agent formed from sodium nitrate, reduces the nitrous anhydride into nitric oxide.[27] Note that nitrous anhydride does not exist in vitro.[28]

Sodium nitrite consumption has also been linked to the triggering of migraines in individuals who already suffer from them.[29]

One study has found a correlation between highly frequent ingestion of meats cured with pink salt and the COPD form of lung disease. The study's researchers suggest that the high amount of nitrites in the meats was responsible; however, the team did not prove the nitrite theory. Additionally, the study does not prove that nitrites or cured meat caused higher rates of COPD, merely a link. The researchers did adjust for many of COPD's risk factors, but they commented they cannot rule out all possible unmeasurable causes or risks for COPD.[30][31]
Mechanism of action

Carcinogenic nitrosamines are formed when amines that occur naturally in food react with sodium nitrite found in cured meat products.

R2NH (amines) + NaNO2 (sodium nitrite) ? R2N-N=O (nitrosamine)

In the presence of acid (such as in the stomach) or heat (such as via cooking), nitrosamines are converted to diazonium ions.

R2N-N=O (nitrosamine) + (acid or heat) ? R-N2+ (diazonium ion)

Certain nitrosamines such as N-nitrosodimethylamine[32] and N-nitrosopyrrolidine[33] form carbocations that react with biological nucleophiles (such as DNA or an enzyme) in the cell.

R-N2+ (diazonium ion) ? R+ (carbocation) + N2 (leaving group) + :Nu (biological nucleophiles) ? R-Nu

If this nucleophilic substitution reaction occurs at a crucial site in a biomolecule, it can disrupt normal cell functioning leading to cancer or cell death.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2013 08:46AM by Panchito.

I recall how we had to wear gloves for the safety of our skin--not to prevent contamination of the meat--in the charcouterie portion of garde mange class in cooking school. Those additives and preservatives with which meats are processed are caustic and the toxicity is not mitigated by cooking/smoking. That was a surreal experience for me as a vegan, garde mange class . . .

The problem with things like the World Cancer Research Fund's "statement" is that, as with so many global health or research organizations' provisos, it's so tentative, like they're afraid that the results are mistaken in some way. How much more research do we need to acknowledge, once and for all, that animal-based foods are disease promoting and plant-based foods are disease limiting? I mean, really?

I am sorry but this article is a hoax. No such claims have been by World Cancer Research Fund. Please read their statememt about it:

<<We are aware of a story circulating social media and blog sites claiming to represent World Cancer Research Fund International’s position on processed meat. We had no involvement in the production of this article. The statement below is a true reflection of our stance on processed meat:>>
(http://www.wcrf-uk.org/about_us/media/press_release.php?recid=217&utm_source=s-m-story&utm_medium=webpage&utm_campaign=wcrfhome)


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my bad, I see you corrected the statement already



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