LAST Monday, an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report declared that processed meats raise the risk of colorectal cancer, making headlines worldwide.

IARC, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat and classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans, while processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans based on “sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer”.

The IARC says red meat refers to all types of mammalian muscle meat, such as beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, and goat. While processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation.

“Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meats may also contain other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat by-products such as blood, the IARC said in its news release last week. “Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces.”

Since the report was made public, several questions have been raised about its public health implications and the Jamaica Observer sought to find out if Jamaicans will stop eating processed meat as a result of the report.

The general consensus: No. Some did say, however, that they will eat processed meat in moderation.

One woman told Your Health Your Wealth that although she will not stop eating processed meat because of its link to cancer, she will minimise her consumption of processed meat for other health reasons.

“Everything you eat can kill you, and persons who do not eat processed meat still develop cancer,” she said, adding that as that reason the report is not a deterrent.

She related that a few days after the report first made headlines, one of her relatives died from cancer.

“She was in her 30s and a Seventh-day Adventist who didn’t eat that kind of thing anyway, and she’s not here anymore,” the woman said, with a shrug.

Another Jamaican also said he will not stop eating processed meat for the simple fact that he likes meat. He also said that not enough has been explained about the link between processed meat and cancer.

“How much makes it bad? Does the way it’s prepared have anything to do with it? he asked. “If that is explained better, and they say daily/weekly eating, for example, or X amount of grams per week or whatever is explained, then I may consider it. But not with the little information I see now.”

He admitted, though, that the information might be out there, but he has just not accessed it.

Meanwhile, the IARC news release admitted that the consumption of meat varies greatly between countries, with from a few per cent up to 100 per cent of people eating red meat, depending on the country, and somewhat lower proportions eating processed meat.

According to the release, the experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 per cent.

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” said Dr Kurt Straif, head of the IARC Monographs Programme. “In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”

The IARC Working Group considered more than 800 studies that investigated associations of more than a dozen types of cancer with the consumption of red meat or processed meat in many countries and populations with diverse diets.

Having received a number of queries, expressions of concern and requests for clarification following the publication of the report, WHO in a statement last Thursday said the report is not to encourage people to stop eating meat.

“The latest IARC review does not ask people to stop eating processed meats, but indicates that reducing consumption of these products can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer,” WHO said.

The organisation went further to say that it has a standing group of experts who regularly evaluate the links between diet and disease and that early next year, they will meet to begin looking at the public health implications of the latest science and the place of processed meat and red meat within the context of an overall healthy diet.

But, what is colorectal cancer?

According to the United States’ National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, colorectal cancer is cancer that starts in the colon or rectum, which are parts of the large intestine — the lower part of the body’s digestive system.

“During digestion, food moves through the stomach and small intestine into the colon. The colon absorbs water and nutrients from the food and stores waste matter (stool). Stool moves from the colon into the rectum before it leaves the body,” the National Cancer Institute states.

It cites colorectal cancer as the third most common type of cancer in men and women in the United States.

And, the incidence of colorectal cancer in men has increased in Jamaica.

During her lecture on Cancers in Jamaica over 60 years at the Jamaica Cancer Society’s 60th anniversary celebration launch in April, consultant urologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies Dr Belinda Morrison said formal documentation of cancer incidence in Jamaica began with the Jamaica Cancer Registry, which was established in 1958. The registry has published regular comprehensive five-year reports since its inception, documenting cancer incidence (new cases diagnosed) in the Kingston and St Andrew region. She explained that using Kingston and St Andrew for data collection for the registry was a strategic move as it represented the hub of most medical care at that time and also represents 24 per cent of the population with a good blend of both urban and rural areas.

The last report was published in 2010 and covered the period 2003-2007.

“A total of 4,981 new cases were recorded for the five-year period; 2,536 for males and 2,445 for females (A significant increase in numbers from earlier periods, with 3,396 new cancers diagnosed between 1978 and 1982 and 3,652 new cases diagnosed between 1983 and 1987),” Dr Morrison had said then. “The leading cancers in men were: prostate, lung and colon. In women, the leading cancers remained: breast, cervix, colon. Overall, in males and females the leading cancer sites were: prostate, breast, colon, lung, and cervix. Cancers were now more common in men, compared to women.”

She explained that the last report of the Jamaica Cancer Registry showed that colorectal cancer incidence has increased in males. Dr Morrison said it is believed that this will continue to increase with screening and detection.