Expert discusses if red meat truly leads to colon cancer: ‘Extremely harmful’

Red meat has long been vilified and blamed for everything from obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol to multiple forms of cancer. 

However, a leading physician has now disclosed whether the beloved dinner staple might be accountable for the rise in early-onset colon cancer, a type of cancer diagnosed before the age of 50.

Dr Peter Attia, a Canadian-American longevity physician, appeared on British podcast TRIGGERnometry to discuss the role of diet on chronic diseases.

Red meat has been at the center of heaps of research investigating a potential link between the food and colon cancer.

Moreover, the United States government has issued suggestions encouraging people to reduce their consumption of red meat and incorporate more plant-based proteins and leaner alternatives such as chicken into their meal plans.

Recent research studies have indicated a potential link between red meat intake and an increased probability of developing colon cancer, attributed to the elevated levels of saturated fat present in red meat. Furthermore, experts have postulated that the process of digesting red meat generates harmful compounds that can harm the cells lining the colon.

However, Dr Attia dubbed many of the recent reports on red meat and colon cancer ‘really, really bad science’ that are ‘fraught with errors.’

Echoing the sentiments of other doctors, including rumored Trump administration pick Dr Aseem Malhotra, Dr Attia said much of the research fails to differentiate between unprocessed meats like steak and processed meats such as hot dogs and jerky. 

Additionally, he noted studies fail to take into account that people who shy away from red meat also tend to be more health conscious and prioritize balanced diets and exercise.

This could explain why studies have linked red meat to colon cancer because people who eat red meat are more likely to also lead an unhealthier lifestyle. 

Dr Peter Attia (pictured here), a Canadian-American longevity physician, said on a recent episode of the Triggernometry podcast that much of the research blaming red meat for a rise in colon cancers is ‘fraught with errors’

Dr Attia said: ‘I think there’s more nuance to it than that frankly and I think it also comes down to the type of red meat you’re going to consume. And I don’t think all red meat is created equal.

‘This is one of those enduring examples of really, really bad science that just never dies.’ 

Early-onset colon cancer diagnoses are expected to rise by 90 percent in people 20 to 34 years old from 2010 to 2030. 

A recent report from the University of Missouri-Kansas City found rates of colorectal cancer have risen in all age groups over the last two decades. 

Colon cancer rates increased 500 percent among children ages 10 to 14 and 333 percent among teenagers aged 15 to 19 years.

Rates rose by 71 percent among people 30 to 34 to seven cases per 100,000 people. Among people 35 to 39, rates rose by 58 percent to 12 cases per 100,000 people.

No single cause has been identified for the surge, but ultra-processed foods are thought to play a role because they contain fats, sugars and other chemicals that lead to inflammation in the digestive tract.

Plain red meat is not processed. Processed meat has had preservatives added to keep fresh for longer or improve taste. 

Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb, and venison. Processed meat, meanwhile, includes bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, and beef jerky. 

The push to limit red meat began in the 1970s and 1980s as evidence started to emerge suggesting the saturated fat in red meat raised levels of LDL cholesterol – the ‘bad’ type of cholesterol. 

High cholesterol has long been shown to cause plaque to build up in the arteries, putting strain on the heart. 

Dr Attia pointed to a growing movement around that time to ‘move people from beef to chicken’ to lower saturated fat intake and cholesterol.  

He said: ‘That is true depending on how much you eat.

Dr Attia argued much of the science surrounding red meat and colon cancer fails to distinguish between unprocessed and processed meats

‘What has given that idea more legs is some of the epidemiology that has demonstrated, though not consistently, that people who eat red meat have higher risks of type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease than people who avoid red meat.’

However, he cautioned that these studies have only shown associations between red meat and chronic diseases like heart disease and colon cancer. They have not proved direct causation.

Additionally, ‘people consuming red meat and people not consuming red meat tend to be proxies on average for very different behaviors.

‘So for example, people who consume more red meat will tend to consume more processed foods. In fact, much of the red meat that they consume is in the form of processed red meat like gas station jerky sticks and things like that.’

Several recent studies have looked at processed meats specifically and colon cancer. 

A report published last year in NPJ Precision Oncology, for example, suggested processed meats produce metabolites, which researchers said ‘feed’ cancer cells and ‘hijack’ normal cells, causing them to mutate and grow uncontrollably. 

And other recent research suggests eating processed meats more than once a week is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer markers, which show the presence of cancer in bodily fluids like blood and urine.

Unlike processed meats, red meat has not been preserved or treated to taste better

Additionally, Dr Attia noted ‘people who go out of their way to avoid red meat tend to engage in many behaviors that are pro health,’ such as exercising, avoiding smoking, and eating more fruits and vegetables.  

He said: ‘When you strip all of those things away and you normalize for say vegetable consumption, that cancer-causing effect of red meat completely vanishes. 

‘When you just say, “Let’s compare people who eat red meat to people who don’t, you’re going to get that difference in risk, but yet when you start to correct for everything, including servings of vegetables in a day, all of a sudden the supposed harm of red meat goes away.’

Vegetables like broccoli, meanwhile, are high in fiber, which helps feed healthy bacteria in the gut and helps stool move through the digestive system, preventing it from spreading harmful chemicals in the colon. 

Rather than shying away from red meat, Dr Attia suggests investing in high-quality, minimally processed picks over processed meats. 

He said: ‘The majority of the literature condemning red meat is highly flawed, and I would say if a person consumes red meat, they should probably make an effort to invest a little bit more and get the red meat that’s probably of the highest quality.’