In an interview on DZMM's "Magandang Gabi Dok," Dr. Mark Kho, a surgical oncologist from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), said cancer is caused by several factors, and eating processed meats and red meats only increases the risk of developing the illness.
"Multifactorial ang cancer, ibig sabihin, maraming pwedeng mag-cause. You also look at the magnitude, gaano kalaki bang problema 'to. For example, ang sinasabi kasi, processed meats, red meats can increase 'yung risk mo for development ng colorectal cancer ng 18%. Kung titingnan mo, parang ang laki ano, 18% increase," Kho said.
"Kung ang average man, for example, in the US, ang lifetime risk niya for colorectal cancer is 5%, in-increase mo 'yan by 18%, magiging 6%. Kung nilagay mong ganun, 6% lang pala ang lifetime risk, whereas for women, ang breast cancer, 12% ang risk," he added.
Instead of avoiding red meat and processed meat all together, Kho said it is better to eat everything in moderation.
"The idea siguro is moderation pa rin. Huwag naman siguro masyadong ma-praning, huwag ding abusuhin," Kho said.
Nitrates, which are used to preserve food, is a known carcinogen. The addition of nitrates to meats makes processed meats dangerous to one's health.
The recent study by WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) put processed meats in the same category as tobacco and asbestos.
Eating 50 grams of processed meat daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent, IARC said. - with a report from Reuters
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
