In Search of Science -

How can you site studies and sources that doesn't acctually support the claim you are making?

It's been a while since my last post for 2 reasons. 

1. I've been on the road this last week and was challenged with setting time to post.
2. I've been seeking sources for information to help determine the optimal diet, but finding that the science does not actually support the claims being made by health professionals.

There are numerous studies and articles, some telling you that a vegan diet is optimal and others promoting a more carnivorous lifestyle.  As I seek to find the answers I have gone in search of the science that backs up these claims.  And I am appalled by the claims made by well respected sources. I am constantly finding articles and resources that reference scientific studies, only to find that the studies that are reference do not actually support the claims that the author is making. 

Today, as I prepare to make the amazing Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna, I went to the Engine 2 website to get the details on the recipe. While skimming through the site I decided to follow his link to "About the Science", which led to a list of links where I could pick a health topic to explore. I chose to read up on cancer, since that seems to be the most controversial between the vegans and meat eaters.

Once in the post  I followed an external link titled "Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk".  This link directed me to the website of the Cancer Project.  On the site is a lengthy article referencing studies which support a reduction in meat as means to preventing cancer.  The article sites 39 references. 39!  Wow, it must be right, right?

One of the first statements in the article "Large studies in England and Germany showed that vegetarians were about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to meat eaters".  40% is tremendous - if these large studies are right then why aren't more people adopting this diet?  This one sentence references 3 sources.  So, let's look at the source -

Source One : Debunked!

• The first was a 1994 study by the Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The study concluded that "These data do not justify advice to exclude meat from the diet since there are several attributes of a vegetarian diet apart from not eating meat which might reduce the risk"

Source Two - Debunked!

• The second was a German study that was first published in 1992 in Epidemiology in which a cohort study of 1,904 vegetarians and persons leading a health-conscious life style in Germany were followed for 11 years.  5 years into the authors of the study felt that "healthy participant effect, higher socioeconomic level, and the greater health consciousness . . may have explained most of the observed decreased mortality" and at the end of the study concluded that "nondietary factors, such as virtual absence of smoking and lower BMI may have also contributed to the lower mortality of the study participants".  Basically - this study did not conclude that meat consumption was the reason for cancer deaths.

•  Furthermore, additional research completed based on this study conclude that vegetarians may have lower mortality from ischemic heart disease than nonvegetarians, but no associations of a vegetarian diet with other major causes of death were established.

Study Three - Debunked!

• The third reference comes from a study that was a follow up the the previous article. In the 1993 study "Dietary and lifestyle determinants of mortality among German vegetarians" researchers a the Division of Epidemiology at the German Cancer Research Centre, followed up on the 11 year study.  They concluded that "a lower risk of death among moderate vegetarians suggests that sound nutritional planning may be more important than absolute avoidance of meat".

So the statement "Large studies in England and Germany showed that vegetarians were about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to meat eaters", is based on NOTHING.  There is NOTHING that supports the statement that vegetarians are 40% less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters.  In fact there is no link to cancer in these studies and consumption of meat.  In all studies the authors were unable to conclude that meat is responsible for increase in cancer rates.

I feel that I have been lied to.  I've been had!  And by a nonprofit organization committed to preventing cancer.  I am in moral conflict - how can I be so upset at an organization with such good intentions?!

We must go to the source - and know that just because a person has an M.D. at the end of their name does not mean that they automatically earn our trust.  Most frustrating in all of this is that I want to believe  that a vegetarian diet will reduce my odds of developing cancer.  But when I have been given false information it creates a cloud of distrust on all information coming from this group.

Does ANYONE out there have a study that supports that completely eliminating all animal meat from the diet will improve health?  Anyone . . .  just need one study that is not using casein(dairy) as the protein source.

Anyone  . . . . . .