By Michael D. Shaw
You don’t have to
be a fan of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to appreciate a great line. The title, of
course, is a riff on FDR’s classic “So, first of all, let me assert my firm
belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning,
unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into
advance.” This was from his first inaugural address (March 4, 1933), and
focused on the Depression, and his plans to solve it via government action.
Unfortunately, his programs were largely ineffective, if not also ill-advised.
Which brings us to
our current fearful matter: The demonizing of red meat and processed meat
products, based on a textbook example of science by press release. In this
case, it is Press Release No. 240, entitled “IARC Monographs evaluate
consumption of red meat and processed meat,” dated 26 October 2015. (IARC =
International Agency for Research on Cancer, affiliated with the UN/WHO) Here
are the key findings:
1. IARC Monographs
Program classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to
humans (Group 2A), based on limited evidence that the consumption of red meat
causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a
carcinogenic effect. This association was observed mainly for colorectal
cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate
cancer.
2. Processed meat
was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient
evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal
cancer.
3. The experts
concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the
risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. In addition, each 100 gram portion of red
meat eaten daily increases the risk by 17%.
As to definitions…
“Red meat” refers
to all types of mammalian muscle meat, such as beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton,
horse, and goat. “Processed meat” refers to meat that has been transformed
through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance
flavor or improve preservation.
Scary stuff, right?
Maybe not.
In epidemiological
terms, relative risks of 1.18 and 1.17 are statistically insignificant, and one
wonders why the “experts” at IARC ignored this. Indeed, as a rule of thumb, an
RR of at least 2.0 is necessary to indicate a cause and effect relationship,
and a RR of 3.0 is preferred. This sentiment is echoed by most medical
journals, the FDA, and the National Cancer Institute. Contrast this with the
relative risk of lung cancer in smokers, RR=12.00.
Thus, we start off
with junk science. But wait, there’s more. The IARC classification system does
not assess the carcinogenic risk of the given agent, but rather, its rating of
the quality of supporting evidence. Included in the dreaded Group 1 are
alcoholic beverages, asbestos, benzene, diesel exhaust, mustard gas, tobacco
products, and now…processed meat. However, this does not mean that processed
meat is as carcinogenic as tobacco products or asbestos, even if that’s what
such bogus authorities as Dr. Neal Barnard might want you to believe.
These are the five
IARC groups…
Group
1—Carcinogenic to humans
Group 2A—Probably
carcinogenic to humans
Group 2B—Possibly
carcinogenic to humans
Group 3—Not
classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans
Group 4—Probably not
carcinogenic to humans
Of the 985 agents
tested to date by IARC, only one (Caprolactam, used in the manufacture of
synthetic fibers) was placed into Group 4.
To recap, IARC has
taken insignificant epidemiological findings to classify red and processed meat
as carcinogens; and is not terribly concerned about people drawing the wrong
conclusions from processed meat being in the same group as real, notorious carcinogens.
Naturally, one good
turn deserves another, and it only took minutes for Barnard’s inaptly-named
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine—little more than an animal
rights/vegan front group, and no stranger to junk science—to post this gem:
“Schools and
hospitals are required to protect students and patients from cancer-causing
asbestos,” says Physicians Committee director of nutrition education Susan
Levin, M.S., R.D. “If the World Health Organization says processed meats are
just as dangerous, it’s time to protect them from hot dogs and pepperoni, too.”
Don’t hold your
breath waiting for IARC to correct this preposterous overreach. In fact, expect
much more outrageous claptrap, as the sat fat/low fat meme melts away, and the
associated charlatans defend their crumbling empires.
Medical idolatry and healthcare outcomes -
This HND piece takes aim at credentialism, and in a
sense is a follow-up to an earlier posting. Among other things, we go after
the almost comically greedy American Board of Internal Medicine, and cover
their latest attempts at becoming a true life version of Dr. Evil. You'll love
their ludicrous stance on copyright. Heck, even people who disagree with my
views on the notion of copyright being mostly indefensible are appalled by how
far into the wild blue yonder ABIM has taken it! As to the benefits of board
certification, you'd think that with a nearly 80-year history and a complete
monopoly, they would have reams of data supporting their cause. But, you'd be
wrong. Read the complete article.
More on walking back the low fat - This HND piece continues the saga on how officialdom
is trying to cover itself over the rapidly deteriorating
diet/fat/cholesterol/heart disease meme. The elites are in full crisis mode
now, as certain members of Congress are mocking them openly. Many people—from
all walks of life—are criticizing the "Scientific Report of the 2015
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee." But no one has done a better job
than investigative journo Nina Teicholz, bestselling author of The Big Fat
Surprise. The elites can only fight back by calling to
authority, except that authority has been bankrupt for over 30 years. Read the complete article.
Dietary fat is no longer the bad guy, or Why does anyone
listen to the experts? - This HND piece looks behind the current walking back
of the "fat is evil" dietary theory. Readers of this blog know that
the dietary fat/cholesterol/coronary heart disease meme has been disproved
hundreds of times, but I guess bad ideas die very slowly. The change in the
wind is likely a direct result of the feckless bureaucrats behind this garbage
finally sensing that the party's over. Maybe we can find some genius economist
to help us determine how many lives have been ruined or even lost because of
this deadly wrong advice. Read the complete article.
Yet more mindless attacks on e-cigarettes
- This HND piece picks up the baton from a few months ago. Only this time, the State of
Indiana is complicit in a rotten crony capitalism scheme, which throws out the
more popular closed e-cig systems, in favor of the old-school closed systems.
Surely, it is only by coincidence that the closed systems—favored by Big
tobacco—are exempt from the legislation. Yep, just like it's a coincidence that
the closed systems aren't quite as good as the open devices at helping people
quit smoking. Maybe some day, the public will connect the dots, and figure out
that "public health" is the LAST thing on the minds of the ghouls in
charge of government and private public health organizations. Read the complete article.
Are you over 70? Are you ready to die? -
This HND piece exposes how the dubious notion of
"sustainability" (popularized by the UN) has now caught up with the
lifespan of humans. It seems that one way of improving lives for most, is to
limit the lifespan of some. At least that's what came out of an article
published last January in The Lancet. The geniuses who wrote it define
premature death as occurring before age 70, implying that "most" of
these are preventable. This has caused those over 70 to feel...left out.
Ironically, some oldsters rightfully complaining about this ghoulish policy
have no problem drinking the Kool-Aid on the rest of the 168 specific
sustainability targets. Read the complete article.
Waste not, want not...for 2015 - This HND piece starts off with a historical
perspective on waste management, up to the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA). Then, it segues into the infamous Mobro 4000 affair. After that, we
look at organized crime involvement, and a few other current issues. Read the complete article.
Who's watching the watchers: Big problems with ERCP
scopes - This HND piece returns to the sadly familiar matter of deaths from contaminated
ERCP scopes. This time, there is another wrongful death lawsuit, and perhaps
more importantly, the FDA is now publicly getting involved. So, there's
something for everyone! Regulatory screw-ups, manufacturers covering their rear
end, and blame being thrown back and forth. The sad part of this is that it is
not exactly "rocket science" to determine—once and for all—the best method
to process these scopes. all that's standing in the way is fear, corruption,
and a whole lot of money. Read the complete article.
All hail AllTrials - This HND piece shines a big spotlight on AllTrials,
a project launched in the UK, which advocates that all clinical trials should
be listed in a clinical trials registry, and their results should always be
shared as open data. The motto is "All Trials Registered—All Results
Reported." Recently, AllTrials has been launched the US. It comes as a
surprise to most people that crummy clinical trial results are seldom
publicized. The most obvious problem with this, of course, is that such negatives
can help prevent disasters. There are many examples, but a particularly awful
one involves certain arrhythmia drugs, which—to be kind—did not quite produce
the intended results. Trouble is, in the absence of the earlier negative
findings being published, around 100,000 poor souls dies unnecessarily. Gee,
what if 66 Titanics sunk to the bottom of the North Atlantic? Do you
think people might complain? Just one more demonstration of the rotten state of
"science" these days. But this time, there's hope. Read the complete article.
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