The Study
Carcinogenicity of consumption of red meat and processed meat: A review of scientific news since the IARC decision.
This study is like a summary someone wrote about what other scientists have found. It doesn’t do a new experiment or count all the studies in a careful way. So, it can tell us there might be a link between eating processed meat and cancer, but it can’t prove it causes cancer.
Analysis score
Maximum 5 for a narrative review.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at studies about red and processed meats to see if they cause cancer. They found that processed meat probably causes cancer, and red meat might too, but they don't yet know exactly how.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 51 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, the result is important because it suggests that eating less processed and red meat could help lower cancer risk.
- 2Processed meat is labeled as causing cancer.
- 3Red meat is labeled as probably causing cancer.
- 4No numbers on how much meat or how big the risk are given in the abstract.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
Year
2017
Authors
J. Domingo, M. Nadal
Related Content
Claims (3)
Eating processed meat can cause cancer, especially in the colon, and scientists have enough proof to say this — even if they're still figuring out exactly how it happens.
Eating red meat might increase your risk of getting colon cancer — scientists aren't totally sure, but there's some concerning evidence and a good biological reason to think it could be harmful.
We know that eating a lot of red and processed meats is linked to higher cancer risk, but scientists still don't fully understand how exactly that happens in the body.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.