In Our View: We’ll All Die Of Something

Today’s public service reminder: We’re all going to die of something.

That bit of information certainly should not come as a surprise, yet we offer it in the wake of a news story Monday that resonated on several levels. The World Health Organization has declared that consuming hot dogs, bacon and other meats can increase the risk of colon, stomach and other cancers, a conclusion reached after the organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer evaluated more than 800 studies from several continents.

The summary: Processed meats are “carcinogenic to humans,” and red meats are “probably carcinogenic.” The organization’s definitions are broad. Processed meats are those that have been transformed through curing, smoking, etc.; and red meat goes so far as to include pork, which we always thought was “the other white meat.” The thinking is that processing meat can cause the buildup of carcinogenic chemicals, and that the high-temperature cooking of red meat also produces carcinogens within the food.

Such scientific studies often are received with a sense of alarm. So we’ll allow Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, to provide a calming voice. “Some people are interpreting it as don’t eat meat at all. I don’t know if that’s reasonable,” Nestle told The Washington Post. “The evidence against processed meat is very strong, but it’s very hard to consider giving it up. A BLT is really a wonderful thing.”

Indeed. In fact, bacon goes wonderfully with any type of dish — at least for many carnivores among us. And hot dogs often are viewed as the quintessential All-American food. Estimates are that about 150 million hot dogs are consumed in the United States over the Fourth of July holiday alone each year.

Understandably, the North American Meat Institute scoffed at Monday’s report, with spokeswoman Betsy Booren saying, “Red and processed meat are among 940 agents reviewed by IARC and found to pose some level of theoretical ‘hazard.’ ”

But while it might be logical for some to downplay the findings of the World Health Organization, it also is reasonable to consider the hazards to be more than theoretical. Many studies over many decades have suggested that a balanced diet heavy in fruits and vegetables and beans is healthier than a meat-based diet, and that consumers are better off for limiting their intake of red meats. Beyond that, there is no magic number for how much meat is healthy. “You don’t need a special diet for cancer,” said Nestle, the New York University professor. “The same healthy diet that is good for heart disease is also good for cancer: A largely — but not necessarily exclusive — plant-based diet.”

Many factors can play a role in the likelihood of cancer, and researchers emphasize the need for regular exercise as a preventative tool — as it is for numerous other ailments. And it is not as though the study suggests that red meat is a global scourge; the Global Burden of Disease Project calculates that 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are linked to diets heavy in processed meat, while 1 million deaths are attributed to smoking and 600,000 are linked to alcohol consumption. Even the simple act of breathing exposes us to carcinogens such as car exhaust and industrial emissions.

But the study emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to health, from a balanced diet with plenty of plant-based foods to other healthy habits. Even with that in mind, the fact is that we all will die of something.