How many of you knew you could get cancer just by eating meat?
The scientific community couldn't verify that claim until 1911. Francis P. Raus extracted some cancerous tissue from a chicken, separated out the cancerous cells and injected the remaining fluid into other hens. "They all developed cancer," he reported.
In the June 18, 1956 issue of Newsweek, fellow researcher Dr. Wendell Stanley, University of California virologist and Nobel prize winner revealed his findings which backed Raus's claims that cancer was viral and communicable. This was further declared by Dr. Ludwik Gross in the December, 1956 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Robert J. Huebner, chief of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health at Bethesda Maryland is quoted saying, "There isn't the slightest doubt in our minds that human cancers are caused by viruses. To this extent, they are simply infectious diseases." Newsweek , March 27, 1961.
The information that was revealed in 1863 was technically correct and almost 93 years ahead of it's time. Science is still learning and updating it's information on health issues but the primary thrust is to FIGHT the cancer virus itself, not prevent it the transmission.
With all this knowledge as to the source of many cancers, we still eat meat. Why is that? The cure is in prevention. How many or who has to die before the underlying cause is publicly revealed again and the meat industry is held accountable like the tobacco industry finally has been?
On a personal note, how can you justify feeding your children meat knowing that you're passing cancer to yet another generation? What would it take to convince you? Have we become so complacent that we simply accept cancer carrying foods into our lives as "normal"? We'd rather eat meat than prevent cancer in future generations (if not your own)? It's like the concept of "acceptable levels of mercury" in fish. Hello! Acceptable levels is ZERO for the @Silverhammer!
You can wash disease carrying organisms off of broccoli but no matter how well you wash or cook that chicken, you've just ingested the cancer virus! Granted, meat is not the only way we get cancer but it's clearly one way, right?
"Unhelpful" votes will go to answers like, "if we weren't supposed to eat animals they wouldn't taste like meat" or other humorous deflections. This is a serious question. Thank you in advance for your thoughtful contributions.
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M$5 Answers
There are many kinds of cancer with many causes. Some are known, some unknown, some have multiple causes, etc. That's why cancer research is so slow and why there has been no quick and simple cure.
Medical research estimates that about 15% of cancers are caused by viruses.
Among the viruses that can cause cancer are various avian viruses that normally cause birds to fall ill but when transferred to humans can sometimes cause cancer. This has recently been shown to be a possible risk to poultry workers if proper precautions are not taken.
Here is some of what the Tulane University Medical Journal says:
"Viruses are known to cause about 15 percent of human cancers. Human papilloma virus causes cervical cancer and hepatitis B virus causes liver cancer. The causes of most human cancers are as yet unknown, but researchers are investigating whether viruses might contribute to other forms of cancer, such as breast cancer. However, even if avian viruses are found to cause cancer in humans, thorough cooking effectively kills them.
Care should be taken when handling raw chicken, which should not come in contact with any cuts or scrapes that the handler might have. Johnson also suggests that measures should be taken to protect poultry workers from the viruses."
Interestingly, a different chicken virus appears to be an agent to fight cancer by producing an anti-tumor protein.
You are jumping to an absurd conclusion in claiming that all meat carries cancer inducing virus, that is simply not true. Furthermore, cooking kills viruses. That's an important consideration in all food eating, so don't confuse people.
Also, there is no particular reason to believe that vegetables or fruits are virus free, there are plenty of plant viruses. They are just as likely to be linked to human cancers in future research as other viruses. Worse, vegetables are often eaten raw, which really is a way catch both viral and bacterial diseases.
And, also interestingly, some plant viruses are being investigated as agents to fight cancer.
In summary, viruses with their dangers and possible benefits are not all the same, they are not limited to meat, and if you are worried about viruses cook your food at the recommended temperatures.
http://tulane.edu/news/releases/archive/2004/chicken_virus_under_scrutiny.c...
http://www.virushunters.net/showabstract.php?pmid=12973921
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12173519/ns/health-infectious_diseases/
http://vivo.cornell.edu/individual/vivo/individual31051
http://www.dailytech.com/Researchers+Create+CancerKilling+Smart+Bomb+From+P...
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M$
Leaving a bottle of water in the car in the summer too often could kill you. Microwaving things in plastic could...eventually kill you. Heck, a couple of years ago (relatively), watching TV was hazardous to your health b/c of the xrays that the TV was shooting out.
So I'm not the least bit surprised that eating meat can cause you to get cancer.
I am a strong proponent of trying the live the most healthy life possible and still enjoy some luxuries. Meat will continue to be one of them.
I wonder is there research that resulted in hot temperatures killing any kind of cancer or disease? I know that hot temperatures can kill many kinds of bacteria. So, could that possibly mean that hot temperatures kill other types of illnesses as well? Perhaps thats why the meat eaters haven't all keeled over yet? Perhaps it is only those that don't heat their meat correctly?
I think more research has to be done.
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
P.S. In the mid 1800"s, they weren't even sure about "germs".
I am not disputing the findings, I am just suggesting that you becareful in accepting this study. Man has been eating meat for a long, long time, and we seem to be evolving quite nicely. Maybe there are more urgent "triggers" for cancer than meat.(like what's in the meat)
Correct. But I'm surprised that you dispute the findings quoted.
That meat is not good for you was proven many centuries before 1863. Daniel asked the
head eunuch "ask the king to allow me and my men to test ourselves without meat to prove to you whether or not we are not more strong" Daniel has been a promoter of vegetables for several thousand years. All the centuries children were forced to eat liver because "its good for you" Liver collects ALL the toxins in the animals body. On top of this, almost every drug, prescription, street or steroids destroy human livers
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Since viruses can lie dormant in the human body for years, even a lifetime, it's not just you that is affected. I have no doubt that these viruses can be passed down through birth. But I have no quote for that.
I'm a fourth generation vegetarian (not vegan) but cancer still claimed my father early in life.
In 1902 the same person that had the original vision is quoted saying (in part), "Animals are becoming more and more diseased, and it will not be long until animal food will be discarded by many.."
Isn't it nice to have sufficient warning to change our behavior before it's too late? Too bad more don't act on it.
This is the government recommended cooking temperature:
"165 degrees for all poultry
The cooking recommendation came from a scientific advisory panel that said raw poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
The department’s “Is it Done Yet?” campaign provides a range of temperatures, including 170 degrees for chicken breasts and 180 degrees for whole birds.
Raymond said that’s too confusing and from now on, the department will be sticking with a minimum of 165 degrees for all poultry."
This kills any and all viruses whether they cause disease directly or whether they contribute to another disease.
The old time study that you cited was tissue extract from a cancerous chicken being injected into other chickens, which is pretty much guaranteed to give the virus and its disease. You can't do that sort of thing with humans unless you are an evil mad scientist. There is no direct evidence of avian virus causing cancer in humans, just statistical evidence such as that mentioned in the Tulane article which reports a study in which poultry workers had an increased chance of contracting a rare cancer. Other studies have shown that the way in which a virus can sometimes cause cancer is that when the virus is reproducing in the hosts' cells, some of the DNA gets mixed into the host cell's DNA. Then the host cell becomes cancerous and reproduces wildly as cancer cells do. That can't happen if the virus is dead, in that case there will be just a few dead virus in your gut and they won't be reproducing throughout your body in huge numbers as live disease viruses do. There would be no chance for any DNA to transfer. The effect of cooking on viruses is well known because there are lots of regular virus diseases that one has to worry about. That's why I gave the citation about the Avian Flu which has the government suggestion for cooking temperature. Now remember that most meat, chicken or otherwise, comes from healthy animals not diseased ones. The farmers and the government inspectors are always trying to ensure that only healthy animals are used for food. But sometimes something slips by, which is why it is safest to cook foods. Meat producers already warn you to cook your meat, especially poultry because it has a higher risk. Unlike tobacco, which is always unhealthy, foods only carry disease when something goes wrong. You may have followed some of the recent outbreaks from fruit and vegetables. In one good example, contaminated spinach was to blame. But cooked spinach was not the problem, it was raw spinach in salads. Similarly, another recent outbreak was from peppers. They were being used raw in salsa. Most of the time salad and salsa is safe, cooking food is just an extra layer of protection.
I can't see how it's possible to misinterpret the findings. What they said was correct and substantiated by solid research. All of us are "simplifying" the results. Even the value of 15% agrees with my question and quoted statements.
We can go so far as to say that breathing causes cancer as far as we know, but that deflects the conversation from how what I've quoted is true, but speculation and caution doesn't make the information outright incorrect.
I bet most people don't know that Hodgkin's Disease can be transmitted from person to person either, but it has happened. Isn't that reason enough to make the public aware and how to protect themselves if they even care? We wear masks in the ER and disinfect our hands, not because it prevents all disease but because it helps against at least one.
It's obvious that people have gotten to the point where there are "acceptable levels" of contamination. I'm not suggesting we be paranoid, only informed. You may find that the numbers are so low that you don't care. But the research says it can and has happened and that number is too high for me. It's preventable is my point. I'd rather cut out a proven source of the cancer virus today than to treat a cancer tomorrow with whatever medication and radiation it takes then.
When you say "thorough cooking effectively kills them" are you saying that there is research proving that cooking ELIMINATES the viruses ability to be used by the body as a cancerous agent? Of course not. Wishful thinking until the original discoveries are proven wrong.
Our ability to turn a bad situation to our advantage doesn't make smoking a reason to improve short term memory. The risks to my health are greater than my need to pass that exam tomorrow. Just my opinion of course.
So what you're saying is that dead viruses (such as the ones in meat that these studies have shown ARE transmittable) positively have no affect on the human body? They're not stored or in any way otherwise viable? Sorry to make you work more but can you isolate the link for that conclusion? I saw no evidence that these studies were on raw meat alone. Since most people don't eat raw meat I can't understand why such a big deal was made out of ingested meat being a source for cancer viruses.
Once we've established that source, is there one that shows exactly how long it is necessary to cook meat for the cancer virus to be destroyed? You know that most people don't cook their meat to completion (rare, medium rare, etc) so even with this new information my question/concern stands.
Will the meat industry ever be confronted with this information like the tobacco industry was?
No, the 15% estimate refers to all forms of cancer caused by viruses not those caused by food viruses. There are many ways to be infected by viruses.
Cooking kills viruses, that has been established. The general mechanism by which viruses can sometimes cause cancer is also mostly understood, and dead viruses don't do any such thing. Your remark about masks etc applies to cooking the chicken, not avoiding meat.
If you want to avoid chicken because you are not confident of handling and cooking it well fine. But don't try to blame all meat, or to claim vegetables are safe.