After the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) caused shock waves last week when it announced processed meats cause bowel cancer, the general public and medical practitioners alike have started debating as to whether or not they should give up eating meat altogether.
But according to anti-ageing specialist Dr Thidakarn Rujipattanakul, consumers in Thailand, where the likelihood of people suffering from cancer is constantly on the rise, should definitely consider excessive consumption of processed meats -- sausage, ham, bacon, salami or even some Thai favourites like kun chiang (Chinese sausage), naem (Thai-styled fermented sausage), Isan sausage and meatballs -- detrimental to health.
"Set aside the WHO, a lot of medical institutes including Harvard [Medical School], the American Cancer Society and Mayo Clinic all say the same thing: that is it is crucial to limit the consumption of processed meats. Personally I even think that it took the WHO too long to come out and address this," said Dr Thidakarn.
In the IARC's report, which involves the analysis of 800 studies from around the world, it does not just label processed meats as unhealthy. Rather it goes so far as to classify processed meats as Group 1 or "carcinogenic to human" based on IARC's carcinogenic classification. Red meat is classified as Group 2A, which means it is "probably carcinogenic to humans". According to the classification, processed meats fall in the same carcinogenic group as tobacco smoking, alcoholic beverages, asbestos and Benzene, while red meat is in the same category as petroleum refining, lead compounds and DDT as in pesticide.
According to Dr Thidakarn, processed meat products contain nitrosamine -- chemical compounds medically found to lead to bowel cancer. Processed meats also have a high level of saturated fat, sodium and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process. All this, said the doctor, is likely to bring about not just cancer but also other illnesses including coronary artery diseases.
Red meat, especially when cooked at high temperatures or in direct contact with flame or hot surfaces as in grilling or pan-frying, is also found to produce certain cancer-causing chemicals.
"In anti-ageing science, red meat is believed to cause molecular inflammation which in turn leads to premature ageing of cells," explained Dr Thidakarn.
Statistics from the WHO in 2012 listed colon and rectum among the five most common sites in the body diagnosed as suffering from cancer, both in men and women worldwide. In Thailand, bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer among males after liver cancer and lung cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. In females, bowel cancer comes in fifth place after cancer of the breasts, cervix, liver and lungs.
The National Cancer Institute has also listed cancer as the number one cause of death in Thailand since 1999, with approximately 120,000 new cases per year. For the higher occurrence rate of cancer in the country, Dr Thidakarn believes that more westernised diets are partly to blame.
"The number of Thais falling victim to cancer has increased especially in the past 50 years," she said. "Before that time, people did not consume as much Western food as they do today. They ate something they could find locally such as vegetables grown in the backyard or fish from the rivers. Such an approach was much healthier.
"Today, the food industry enables red and processed meat to be sold at a cheaper price. And excessive consumption of it coupled with other unhealthy behaviours like smoking and drinking alcohol have evidently caused the development of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and obesity."
The WHO's cancer report has, however, caused global controversy since its release and some sectors stand against it. Last week, bacon lovers took to social media to express their pro-meat standpoint with hashtags such as #FreeBacon, #Bacongeddon and #JeSuisBacon among the top-trending topics worldwide on Twitter. German butchers also rejected the findings that linked the consumption of processed meats with cancer. Food and farming groups in Italy, the home of Parma ham, also asked its consumers not to panic after the WHO warning.
WHO itself stressed that the cancer report was not calling people to stop eating meat altogether, but instead encouraging them to eat it in moderation. But while the recent warning might put Thai meat lovers in the hot seat, Dr Thidakarn urged consumers not to take this issue too lightly. With medical studies, reviews and papers as evidence to back up this claim, Dr Thidakarn recommended that people eat them only sparingly.
"For health's sake, if you can cut processed meats then do it," she said. "But for red meat, it must be consumed in limitation. In a week, no more than 500g of red meat should be consumed per person. This equates to a big piece of steak."
For those who are willing to cut the meat, Dr Thidakarn suggested that they study alternative sources of protein such as eggs, tofu and nuts and eat a wide variety of dishes. One important suggestion from the doctor is that abstaining from red and processed meat in life does not necessarily mean the physical health will be improved miraculously. Wellness definitely takes more than that.
"Red meat or no red meat is not the only thing that defines good health," she said. "The consumption of other diets also play a role in telling whether or not we would be healthy including fruits and vegetables, fried food, sugary stuff. Factors such as regular workouts, adequate quality sleep at night, smoking and alcohol are also part of the equation.
"So if you are to avoid processed and red meat for better health, then you have to do other things right as well."
Vendors selling grilled meat are a familiar sight in Thailand.
