I wholeheartedly agree with everything Ron wrote.  I'd like to add this:  in
this country the prevailing wisdom has been that in order to be healthy one
must eat less red meat and less saturated fat.  You have to think that
people concerned with their health would, on average, be following this
advice, even though I (and presumably most of those on this list) think it
is misguided.  In other words, health conscious people have probably mostly
cut back on their red meat consumption over the past 20 years.  The problem
is that those are the same people who probably exercise more, smoke less,
pay attention to toxins in their environment, etc.  In other words, they'll
have a generally healthier lifestyle.  That could easily be what accounts
for their improved health, as opposed to their lower consumption of red (and
processed) meat.

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 9:39 PM, Ron Hoggan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Mike,
> Lumping red and processed meats together was a most unfortunate choice, if
> the researchers really wanted clear data. I'm guessing that it was not
> lumped together in the questionnaire, but I don't know since I have only
> read media releases, not the research report.
>
> That said, the research strategy of mixing two independent variables
> obfuscates the results. It is impossible to tell whether:
> 1. Processed meats caused all of the excess deaths;
> 2. Red meats caused all of the excess deaths;
> 3. Another, unknown variable, not considered in the research caused all of
> the excess deaths;
> 4. Some combination of red, processed, and an unknown variable caused all
> of
> the excess deaths.
>
> Perhaps the only way they could get a statistically significant result was
> to combine red and processed meats. I don't know. However,
> questionnaire-type research is notoriously weak. Also, dietary recall
> studies are notoriously misleading. The results from such a combination
> study, regardless of numbers, should be viewed with more than a little
> skepticism.
>
> Conventional dietary wisdom has many such deeply flawed studies for its
> support. Since you are in Canada, just look at the new Canada Food Guide.
> It
> continues to recommend that we eat more whole grain foods and dairy
> products
> than any other food groups. Current research shows that 1% of the general
> population has celiac disease and 10-12% of the population tests positive
> for gluten sensitivity. Similarly, about two thirds of the world's adult
> population is lactose intolerant. Current research also reveals that casein
> allergy is common, although accurate estimates are difficult to come by.
>
> In total, the recommendations are for us to consume more of two food groups
> that are also two of the most allergenic in our food supply. Just how solid
> can the science behind these recommendations be? I can tell you that in
> 1942, the Canadian government issued its first food guide. It was an
> adaptation of the USDA guide from almost 10 years earlier, with only minor
> modifications.
>
> Frankly, I think that too many of our elected, Canadian government
> officials, have been so busy politicking, pandering to cronies ($7 million
> in bonuses to managers of the CPP investment fund that lost $24 billion
> during the same period) and taking bribes (e.g.: Mulroney) that they just
> haven't had the time to do the research and come up with a guide that
> reflects only the science. Even if they had taken the time to do so, would
> you take dietary advice from Harper, Mulroney, or the authors of adscam?
> I'd
> rather do my own research and trust my own judgment.
>
> Since you've read Taubes' book, Cordain's book, and Stefansson's "Fat of
> the
> Land" you only have half of the picture. The next step is to look at the
> health impacts of gluten and dairy. I recommend Jane Plant's book on dairy
> products and their impact on cancer, as well as my own book, "Dangerous
> Grains" by James Braly and Ron Hoggan. The latter is published by Penguin
> on
> their Avery imprint.
>
> Best Wishes,
> Ron Hoggan
>
>


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