Liza, The article on sialic acid, which purports to explain the probable adverse effects of meat consumption, is somewhat misleading (against the backdrop of controlled observations regarding these postulated adverse effects). The quote that I will "pick on" is the following: "Varki, who is not a vegetarian, noted that many studies have linked a diet rich in meat and milk with cancer, heart disease and other diseases." The part that I will "pick on" is cancer, using 3 highly-relevant studies: Study #1: A reduction in the status of meats from a probably causal status in colorectal cancer down to something regarded as possibly causal, but not longer regarded as probably causal (research indicates that it is no longer to be considered a probable cause): "the relationship between meats in general and colorectal cancer now looks weaker than the 'probable' status it was judged to have by the WCRF in 1997." Truswell AS. Meat consumption and cancer of the large bowel. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Mar;56 Suppl 1:S19-24. Study #2: A nonsignificant increase in breast cancer risk in vegetarians (when adjusted for intake of vegetables and pulses): "Adjustment for intake of vegetables and pulses reverted the odds of breast cancer in lifelong vegetarians relative to lifelong meat-eaters (OR=1.04; 95% CI=0.65-1.68) and attenuated the quartile-specific estimates for meat intake, whereas the inverse trends in the odds of breast cancer with intake of vegetables and pulses remained after adjustment for type of diet or meat intake." Dos Santos Silva I, Mangtani P, McCormack V, Bhakta D, Sevak L, McMichael AJ. Lifelong vegetarianism and risk of breast cancer: a population-based case-control study among South Asian migrant women living in England. Int J Cancer. 2002 May 10;99(2):238-44. Study #3: A nonsignificant increase in the overall death rate in vegetarians: "Comparing vegetarians with nonvegetarians within each cohort, the death rate ratios (DRRs), adjusted for age, sex and smoking, were 1.03 (0.95, 1.13) in the Health Food Shoppers Study, 1.01 (0.89, 1.14) in the Oxford Vegetarian Study, and 1.05 (0.86, 1.27) in EPIC-Oxford." Key TJ, Appleby PN, Davey GK, Allen NE, Spencer EA, Travis RC. Mortality in British vegetarians: review and preliminary results from EPIC-Oxford. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3 Suppl):533S-538S. Liza, while all that these 3 studies actually show is "statistical equivalence", this boring fact DOES indeed say something. It invalidates the reasoning of those who would attempt to maintain that meats are a probable cause of disease and early death in humans. In other words, and using evidence-based reasoning: one must conclude that the weight of evidence on the matter, while not conclusive, IS conclusive that meat is NOT the "health hazard" various PhDs have maintained up to now. So, let's make sure to take the: "many studies have linked a diet rich in meat and milk with cancer, heart disease and other diseases" quote in context of the totality of scientific evidence (and realize that it is misleading). Note: Regarding milk consumption, I would have to say that it appears "guilty as charged" regarding prostate cancer (a "probable" cause). Ed