Hi Todd

The problem with these studies is that modern clinical trials are conducted
in the wrong context -- that of a 'healthy', processed-carbohydrate,
relatively low-fat diet. The addition of fibre to diet might mitigate the
effects of such diets but don't address the causes. There are also
contradictory studies in the modern literature, which show low levels of
cancer in peoples with a low-fibre, high meat intake, and increases of
cancers with increasing dietary fibre. There are also "paradoxes":

1. Lyon JL, Gardner JW, et al . Low cancer incidence and mortality in Utah.
Cancer 1977; 39: 2608
2. Dietary studies of cancer of the large bowel in the animal model . In
Vahouny GV, Kritchevsky D (Eds). Dietary Fibre: Basic and Clinical Aspects .
Plenum, New York. 1986. p 469
3. Wasan HS, Goodlad RA. Fibre-supplemented foods may damage your health.
Lancet 1996; 348: 319-20.
4. Fuchs CS, et al . Dietary Fiber and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer and
Adenoma in Women. New Engl J Med 1999; 340: 169-176, 223-224.
5. Smith-Warner SA, et al. Intake of Fruits and Vegetables and Risk of
Breast Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of Cohort Studies. JAMA . 2001; 285:
769-776.
6. Tokudome S, Nagaya T, Okuyama H, et al. Japanese versus Mediterranean
Diets and Cancer. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2000;1(1):61-66.

To get the right answers we need to look at older epidemiological studies:
those of Weston Price, Stefansson, McCarrison, Boyd Orr, et al, on such
peoples as the Maasai, Watusi, Berbers, Marsh Arabs, Neurs, Nagas, Inuit,
etc. (Unfortunately, these peoples are much more difficult to study now as
the diets of many have been adulterated by contact with Western society.) If
we look at this evidence, we find no relation between saturated fat intake
or meat intake and any cancers.

I don't tend to rely on animal studies as, although there are many
similarities between us and other mammals, when it comes to diet there are
significant confounding factors.

Barry Groves
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk

----- Original Message -----
From: "Todd Caldecott" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 12:25 AM
Subject: Re: Meat in the Human Diet


> >
> > Oh, by the way, animal products -- meat, fat, cholesterol -- have
> > never been
> > shown to cause either heart disease or cancers or, as far as I am
> > aware, any
> > other disease (except from infected produce or man-made chemical
> > pollution).
> > Only processed plant material has.
>
> >
> > Barry Groves
> > http://www.second-opinions.co.uk
>
>
> Hi Barry
>
> what do you think about the correlation drawn by several studies,
> between a diet high in saturated fat and increased  beta-glucuronidase
> activity, which leads to the (re)absorption of hormones and toxins in
> the bile, which in turn, is a caustive factor for disease, e.g. breast
> cancer?  This is an oft cited reason to decrease dietary fat and
> increase fiber.  I know this isn't a fair question because most
> research doesn't look at a high fat diet per se, only fat and fiber in
> greater or lesser volumes.
>
> 1: Goldin BR, Adlercreutz H, Gorbach SL, Warram JH, Dwyer JT, Swenson
> L, Woods MN. Estrogen excretion patterns and plasma levels in
> vegetarian and omnivorous women. N Engl J Med. 1982 Dec
> 16;307(25):1542-7. PMID: 7144835 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>
> 2: Domellof L, Darby L, Hanson D, Mathews L, Simi B, Reddy BS. Fecal
> sterols and bacterial beta-glucuronidase activity: a preliminary
> metabolic epidemiology study of healthy volunteers from Umea, Sweden,
> and metropolitan New York. Nutr Cancer. 1982;4(2):120-7. PMID: 6298751
> [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>
> 3: Indira M, Vijayammal PL, Menon PV, Kurup PA. Effect of dietary fiber
> on intestinal bacterial beta-glucuronidase activity in chicks fed a
> cholesterol-containing diet. Cancer. 1980 Dec 1;46(11):2430-2. PMID:
> 6254631 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>
> 4: Reddy BS, Hanson D, Mangat S, Mathews L, Sbaschnig M, Sharma C, Simi
> B. Effect of high-fat, high-beef diet and of mode of cooking of beef in
> the diet on fecal bacterial enzymes and fecal bile acids and neutral
> sterols. J Nutr. 1980 Sep;110(9):1880-7. PMID: 7411244 [PubMed -
> indexed for MEDLINE]
>
> 5: Reddy BS, Hedges AR, Laakso K, Wynder EL. Metabolic epidemiology of
> large bowel cancer: fecal bulk and constituents of high-risk North
> American and low-risk Finnish population. Cancer. 1978
> Dec;42(6):2832-8. PMID: 728877 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>
> 6: Hambly RJ, Rumney CJ, Fletcher JM, Rijken PJ, Rowland IR. Effects of
> high- and low-risk diets on gut microflora-associated biomarkers of
> colon cancer in human flora-associated rats. Nutr Cancer.
> 1997;27(3):250-5. PMID: 9101554 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
>
>
> Todd Caldecott, Cl.H., AHG
>