EPIC Findings on Lymphoma

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In a study of a half million people, which was most associated with the risk of developing lymphoma? Red meat, processed meat, poultry, offal, eggs, or milk?

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Yes, the incidence of all malignant cancers combined was lower among fish-only eaters and vegetarians, compared to the healthy meat-eaters. But the most striking difference between the dietary groups was in the risk for the group of cancers that include lymphomas and myeloma. Since they factored out other lifestyle differences between the meat-eaters and vegetarians—similar smoking; exercise; weight; fruit and veggie consumption—they concluded that meat itself may be the culprit, potentially due to the mutagenic compounds or viruses in meat. But that raises the question: what type of meat?

To get at that level of detail, you would need to look at a lot of people, so they enrolled the help of not just any study, but the EPIC study. EPIC, the largest forward-looking study on diet and cancer in human history, following a half million people for over ten years now.

What type of meat was the worst? They looked at red meat (beef and pork), processed meat (like bacon, ham, and sausage), poultry (chicken and turkey), also offal, which, true to its name, means entrails and organs—in practical terms, that’s liver, heart, kidneys, pancreas, blood, thymus, brains, stomach, feet, tongue, tail, as well as the head, and eyeballs. They also looked at eggs and dairy.

Which was most significantly associated with the risk of developing lymphoma? Red meat, processed meat, poultry, offal, eggs, or milk?

It was poultry consumption—associated with a significantly increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, all grades of follicular lymphoma, B-cell lymphomas in general, including B-cell chronic lymphatic leukemia, including small lymphocytic leukemia and prolymphocytic lymphocytic leukemia.

Up to triple the rates for every 50 grams of daily poultry consumption. A cooked chicken breast averages over 200 grams; so that’s for just a quarter of a chicken breast worth of poultry.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Images thanks to Rainer Zen, MCB,  Sun Ladder, Amidelalune, Carsten Niehaus, and Renee Comet for the National Cancer Institute via Wikimedia Commons.

Yes, the incidence of all malignant cancers combined was lower among fish-only eaters and vegetarians, compared to the healthy meat-eaters. But the most striking difference between the dietary groups was in the risk for the group of cancers that include lymphomas and myeloma. Since they factored out other lifestyle differences between the meat-eaters and vegetarians—similar smoking; exercise; weight; fruit and veggie consumption—they concluded that meat itself may be the culprit, potentially due to the mutagenic compounds or viruses in meat. But that raises the question: what type of meat?

To get at that level of detail, you would need to look at a lot of people, so they enrolled the help of not just any study, but the EPIC study. EPIC, the largest forward-looking study on diet and cancer in human history, following a half million people for over ten years now.

What type of meat was the worst? They looked at red meat (beef and pork), processed meat (like bacon, ham, and sausage), poultry (chicken and turkey), also offal, which, true to its name, means entrails and organs—in practical terms, that’s liver, heart, kidneys, pancreas, blood, thymus, brains, stomach, feet, tongue, tail, as well as the head, and eyeballs. They also looked at eggs and dairy.

Which was most significantly associated with the risk of developing lymphoma? Red meat, processed meat, poultry, offal, eggs, or milk?

It was poultry consumption—associated with a significantly increased risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, all grades of follicular lymphoma, B-cell lymphomas in general, including B-cell chronic lymphatic leukemia, including small lymphocytic leukemia and prolymphocytic lymphocytic leukemia.

Up to triple the rates for every 50 grams of daily poultry consumption. A cooked chicken breast averages over 200 grams; so that’s for just a quarter of a chicken breast worth of poultry.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Images thanks to Rainer Zen, MCB,  Sun Ladder, Amidelalune, Carsten Niehaus, and Renee Comet for the National Cancer Institute via Wikimedia Commons.

Doctor's Note

Why was there so much more lymphoma and leukemia risk among those eating just a small serving of chicken a day? That’s the subject of Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?. And see Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores for a discussion of overall cancer rates. The EPIC study also compared obesity rates in omnivores, flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans.

For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Poultry and Penis CancerPoultry Paunch: Meat & Weight GainTreating an Enlarged Prostate With DietEating Green to Prevent CancerHow To Reduce Dietary Antibiotic Intake; and How Tumors Use Meat to Grow.

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