This breakthrough changes everything, we now know why red meat causes cancer. How did it take so long for us to realize this?
According to quite a few studies consuming red meat is linked with increased cancer risks as well as things like heart disease, stroke, type two diabetes, and alzheimer’s. We did not understand why these links existed until now. Several scientists from the University of California say that it has something to do with sugar.
Neu5Gc is the sugar found in mammals (except for humans) and it triggers an immune response that causes inflammation. There is evidence linking the sugar in red meats was found through a study done on mice. Feeding them sugars in experimental setups and finding that the sugar was causing an increase in spontaneous cancer in the mice. You can find this sugar in cow’s milk, some cheeses, pork, beef, and other livestock. The human body is not capable of producing this sugar naturally and so when it is absorbed into our tissue we perceive it as a foreign invader.
This causes an immune system response that over time can become chronic inflammation and lead to cancer. People who consume red meat on a daily basis are likely to suffer a much stronger reaction than those who only ingest red meats occasionally. We are lucky because now that we know this we can look towards another direction and ingest one of the many alternatives to red meat. Why not try a veggie burger?
Limiting your intake of red meat will help you to live a much better life. Your health is extremely important. In a place where cancer is one of the biggest money makers, we need to be aware of the things we ingest.