A Doubt on the World Health Organization’s Report Linking Red and Processed Meat to Cancer
LI Chunbao1, ZHOU Guanghong1,*, XU Xinglian1, LUO Xin2, XIONG Youling L.3, CAO Jinxuan4, ZHANG Wangang1
1.Chinese Academy of Animal Products Processing, National Center of Meat Quality and Safety Control, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; 2.College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China; 3.Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY 40546, USA; 4. College of Ocean, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Abstract：Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed processed meat as Group I carcinogen and red meat as Group IIA carcinogen. In the present investigation, we have reviewed more than 400 recent publications regarding the link between processed and red meat consumption and increased cancer risk. Previous studies indicated that processed meats, in some cases, may contain N-nitroso compounds, hetercyclic amines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are formed during processing. However, the amounts of these compounds in processed meats at the recommended intake level are far below the minimum concentrations carcinogenic to humans. Red meat is an excellent source of high quality nutrients essential for the human body, especially heme iron, zinc, selenium, vitamins B11 and B12. However, long-term excessive intake of any food, including processed and red meat, under different economic, cultural, and lifestyle backgrounds, could have adverse impacts on health. Epidemiological studies that IARC referenced to were performed without strict human dose-effect experiments and the results were inconsistent. In fact, there are not adequate animal studies that demonstrated the carcinogenicity of processed and red meat. Due to the lack of convincing evidence, it is unscientific, premature, and irresponsible for IARC to issue such a report that stated processed meat and red meat are carcinogenic. Therefore, we recommend that the report should be retracted.
李春保，周光宏，徐幸莲，罗 欣，熊幼翎，曹锦轩，张万刚. 对世界卫生组织将红肉和肉制品列为致癌物报告的质疑[J]. 肉类研究, 2015, 29(12): 1-5.
LI Chunbao, ZHOU Guanghong, XU Xinglian, LUO Xin, XIONG Youling L., CAO Jinxuan, ZHANG Wangang. A Doubt on the World Health Organization’s Report Linking Red and Processed Meat to Cancer. Meat Research, 2015, 29(12): 1-5.
