Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 30: The recent warning by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that eating processed meat and red meat raises the risk of colon cancer has shaken many people in the city who regularly consume these meats. The warning has also sparked a renewed bout of awareness gathering and sharing about the risks involved in the consumption of meat.
Ever since the conclusions of the WHO-backed International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) came out in the media, people accustomed to consuming various kinds of meats at home and in restaurants are now at the crossroads. Although there is still no indication of the health warnings having any significant impact on the meat market in the state, there is a perceptible rise in discussions on the health consequences of meat consumption.
“We had never suspected that red meat consumption could have such adverse affects on health. Some of the red meats are regularly consumed by people, mostly youngsters, as the restaurants offer them widely. Now I think we really need to look for alternatives,” said Abhishek Behera, an engineering student from KIIT.
WHO, in a release on October 26, said that its cancer agency, IARC, put processed meat in Group 1 carcinogens, in the same category as cigarettes and asbestos. It said red meat is “probably carcinogenic”.
Health experts from the city say the need of the hour is to avoid red meats and processed meats as they do more harm than good. According to doctors, consumption of these meats also raises the risk of a number of other adverse effects besides cancer.
“Prolonged consumption of red meat can potentially cause coronary artery diseases and, when at the extreme, severe damages to the heart, leading to heart stroke and blockage,” said Dr Subham Das, a city-based diabetologist, to Orissa POST. “Doctors often discourage the diabetic, the obese and hypertension patients from consuming such products as they are more vulnerable to the side effects of red meat. In such cases, the chances of getting adverse affects multiply three times,” he added.
Dr Pooja Jha, a city-based physician, said, “Chemicals like Butylated hydroxyl toluene and others present in processed foods damage the DNA of humans, leading to malfunction of the DNA structure, and this can ultimately lead to cancer in extreme cases. They can also cause hypersensitivity and adversely affect normal body mechanism. The best solution is to look for fresh food and avoid smoked and frozen meat products.”
