If you’ve been exposed to just about any form of mass media over the past couple days then there is a good chance you’ve seen a ton of sensational headlines professing that red meat & bacon is going to kill you!
Thanks to a short summary of that was recently release by the World Health Organization, that attempts to summarize the finding of over 800 studies they looked at, the internet seems to be in a frenzy of bacon backlash and ignorant blog posts (Thanks, mainstream media!) that is really only going to lead the uneducated and misinformed to make poor choices about their diet and ultimately their health.
Since you guys have put up with my overly sciency posts from time to time I figured I’d share with you a handful of links that could be helpful in not only painting a better picture of what exactly is going on re: red meat but also give you the ammunition you’ll need at some of the family holidays coming up when your weird fat uncle corners you about your diet and lifestyle choices.
So, since I’m hoping you guys are much smarter than the average Dr. OZ fan I wanted to provide a quick round-up of some of the articles out there covering this subject:
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Bacon Causes Cancer? Sort Of. Not Really. Ish.
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Scientists Just Found that Red Meat Causes Cancer… Or did they?
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Red Meat is Not the Enemy
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Fresh (!) Red Meat Acquitted – Overgeneralized Accusations that Red Meat Consumption Triggers Cancer Overlooks Influence of Processing & Other Confounding Factors
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Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Panic Over Processed Meats Causing Cancer
Here is an overview of the fight that is going on at a higher level and covers the scientific contribution to the US Dietary Guidelines which effect a HUGE number of people: The scientific report guiding the US dietary guidelines: is it scientific?
Oh and this one is just for fun: WHO Warns of 250% Increase in Vegetarian and Vegan Smugness
As I’ve said before — You shouldn’t be listening to people who profess that they have THE answer to your individual diet or exercise problem.
There are not black and white concepts that apply universally to every individual and circumstance so anytime you see a diet, nutrition, or fitness article that claims otherwise you should be immediately skeptical and start looking for alternative sources of information (Just make sure you aren’t just looking for additional articles that prove your current beliefs — That would be confirmation bias and will not help).
Also, don’t forget that every media outlet, news source, and blog — No matter how ‘unbiased’ they say they are — Are in the business of getting you to click on their sensational headlines and spend time on their site. This is especially true when the site is covered in advertising (as they get paid based on page views).
So if you see a sensational headline that challenges your core beliefs, don’t freak out, just spend a few extra minutes attempting to verify that information!