Salt meat shortcomings

If you are a lover of salt meat with your Sunday dinner you may want to brace yourself.

Researchers at Memorial University have discovered that our beloved traditional Island favourite is very bad for us. They say that pickled red meat (another term for salt meat) is "significantly associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador."

In a press release it was noted that the studyCancer Causes Controlassessed the association between the intakes of total red meat and pickled red meat and the risk of colorectal cancer in 1,204 residents of this province.

It was noted that Newfoundlanders have a taste for pickled meat that is not matched by any other population in the world. It was also noted that people in this province have the highest rate of colorectal cancer in Canada at 86 per 100,000 compared to a national average of 62 per 100,000.

A principal investigator of the study, Dr. Peter Wang says dietary habits are a major contributor to this type of cancer. He noted the "study shows a positive association between the consumption of pickled meat and colorectal cancer and demonstrates that the level of consumption of pickled meat has a significant effect."

It is stated in the press release from MUN that two common pickled meats in the provincial diet are trimmed naval beef and cured pork riblets. These meats include sodium nitrite as one of the preserving agents and it has been suggested that nitrite/nitrate compounds can be converted to carcinogenic compounds.

So what is one to do when planning for a Jigg's dinner? Mr. Wang says people can modify their diets and take into account the need to minimize risk factors in making decisions on what they consume.

As for red meat, that was also part of this study. There was no positive association between the consumption of red meat and colorectal cancer. This is something Dr. Wang said may come from people in the province consuming more red meat from wild animals such as moose and caribou.

So maybe we should look more at the wild option and try to incorporate more of that into our diets. Too bad you can't run out to the supermarket and pick it up if you weren't fortunate enough to get a licence last year.

Editor