> It's certainly a possibility.  If it's the combination of red
> meat and X that causes problems, and X is commonly present in the
> diet of the study populations, then epi studies are not going to
> be able to separate the effects of the two.  So until more direct
> evidence comes along, we are in the dark.
>
> Todd Moody

This reminds me of this bread humor:

A recent Cincinnati Enquirer headline read, "Smell of baked bread may
be
health hazard." The article went on to describe the dangers of the
smell of
baking bread. The main danger, apparently, is that the organic
components of
this aroma may break down ozone.

I was horrified. When are we going to do something about bread-induced
global warming? Sure, we attack tobacco companies, but when is the
government going to go after Big Bread?

Well, I've done a little research, and what I've discovered should
make
anyone think twice....

1: More than 98 percent of convicted felons grew-up in house- holds in
which
bread was served daily.

2: Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming
households
score below average on standardized tests.

3: In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the
home, the
average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates
were
unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as
typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.

4: More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24
hours of
eating bread.

5: Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven
that as
little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The
average
American eats more bread than that in one month!

6: Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low
incidence of
cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.

7: Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread
and
given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.

8: Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder"
items
such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts.

9: Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more
than
90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body
being
taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy,
gooey
bread-pudding person.

10: Newborn babies can choke on bread.

11: Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit!
That
kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.

12: Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish
between
significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.

In light of these frightening statistics, we propose the following
bread
restrictions:

1: No sale of bread to minors.

2: A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV
spots
and bumper stickers.

3: A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal
ills
we might associate with bread.

4: No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal
to
children) may be used to promote bread usage.

5: The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.