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Pepperoni Killed Tony Snow
The Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine isn't a big fan of meat.
According to Newsweek, only about 5 percent of its members
are physicians. But they're determined to
let the death of no meat-eater go unremarked upon in their
op-eds—apparently eating deli sandwiches killed Tony Snow, and now
it's killing your kids:
Food manufacturers and their lobbyists like to pretend that even the most unhealthful foods like hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats are OK in moderation. And anyone with a pepperoni addiction likes to pretend that jogging three miles a day will keep them healthy. But late last year, the game was up....
In fact, according to researchers, just one 50-gram serving of bacon, sausage, deli meats, or other processed meat (think one hot dog) daily increases our risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent. Do the math. If your spouse or your kids are eating ham slices or hot dogs just a couple of times a week, they are significantly increasing their risk of colon cancer.
Via CCF.
El Guapo|7.21.08 @ 5:16PM|#
Unmitigated Boulderdash. Eat hearty people. And make sure you get your colon checked regularly as per clinical recommendation starting at age 50.
Episiarch|7.21.08 @ 5:16PM|#
They're going to have to pry my meat from my hot, sweaty
hands.
Wait a second, that doesn't sound right.
|7.21.08 @ 5:21PM|#
So if one 50 gram serving increases my chances of dying of cancer by 21% then does the five servings I had yesterday mean I am writing this from the grave?
Ironic|7.21.08 @ 5:23PM|#
"Has anyone met a lifelong vegan who does not look like he's
waiting to die?"
Not me. I live near an art college so I see a lot of vegans. Ovo
vegetarians are usually healthy looking. Strict vegans - not so
much.
Ironic|7.21.08 @ 5:25PM|#
Art, I am afraid you are now dead. Sorry to breat it to you but you just commited suicide yesterday.
thoreau|7.21.08 @ 5:30PM|#
See the picture of W. and Tony Snow? Notice how the meat killed
Tony and the pretzel almost got W.?
Food is out to get us. Soon the food will even infiltrate our
precious bodily fluids. This is why I only drink Brawndo, for the
good of my bodily fluids. It has electrolytes and shit.
|7.21.08 @ 5:35PM|#
Ironic:
I just knew I felt too good.
I guess I can now, drink, smoke and eat whatever I want, without
having to listen to the concerned citizens at the PCRM, PETA, CSPI,
etc.
No Name Guy|7.21.08 @ 5:41PM|#
A new study published in a respected medical journal reports that being born increases your risk of dying by 100%.
Johnny Nowhere|7.21.08 @ 5:43PM|#
Art,
you should limit yourself to fifteen schnitzengruben, though.
that's just common sense
|7.21.08 @ 5:47PM|#
>>does the five servings I had yesterday mean I am writing
this from the grave?
Yes, and if you're in Chicago you can vote from there too.
|7.21.08 @ 5:50PM|#
If your spouse or your kids are eating ham slices or hot
dogs just a couple of times a week, they are significantly
increasing their risk of colon cancer.
If they are eating like we demand they are significantly decreasing
their quality of life.
|7.21.08 @ 5:52PM|#
This is the problem with all fanatics. It's not enough that someone may, say, eat LESS meat or bad-for-you foods, they must eat NONE or they will die (or are evil). Don't they realize that many people will conclude "well, since I could never eat less than one gram of bacon a week and since one gram will kill me I might as well enjoy myself and eat as much as I want."
Tyler Durdin|7.21.08 @ 5:52PM|#
On a long enough time scale, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
No Name Guy|7.21.08 @ 5:53PM|#
Crimethink, can you not get the point of what I was trying to say without having to check the mathematics? Jeeze.
Matt Moore|7.21.08 @ 5:55PM|#
In fact, according to researchers, just one 50-gram serving of bacon, sausage, deli meats, or other processed meat (think one hot dog) daily increases our risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent. Do the math.
Ok, I did the math. According to SEER men have a 5.29% chance of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime. I know this is a gross simplification (I'm no statistician) but if eating deli meat increases my chance of cancer to 6.4% from 5.29%... pass the mustard, I've got a Nathan's kosher on the grill.
the innominate one|7.21.08 @ 5:55PM|#
seriously, though. I suspect the real stat means that if your
baseline probability of dying of colorectal cancer is 1% (as
opposed to other forms of mortality), the first day you eat meat,
your probability of dying from colorectal cancer goes to 1.21%. The
second day it goes up to 1.46%, etc.
won't stop me from having pepperoni pizza
lunchstealer|7.21.08 @ 6:04PM|#
Has anyone met a lifelong vegan who does not look
ematiated?
I know some overweight vegetarians and vegans.
|7.21.08 @ 6:05PM|#
How, exactly, do they get from "research" that a daily serving of meat increases your risk, to a claim that eating meat one or two times a week increases your risk?
No Name Guy|7.21.08 @ 6:06PM|#
I knew a vegan. She always lectured me about how eating at Chick-Fil-A would give me cancer. After that, she'd take a long pull off of her Marlboro Red.
Taktix®|7.21.08 @ 6:06PM|#
In fact, according to researchers, just one 50-gram serving
of bacon, sausage, deli meats, or other processed meat (think one
hot dog) daily increases our risk of colorectal cancer, on average,
by 21 percent. Do the math. If your spouse or your kids are eating
ham slices or hot dogs just a couple of times a week, they are
significantly increasing their risk of colon cancer.
Note from grader: Please so your work to receive full credit.
Douglas Gray|7.21.08 @ 6:07PM|#
It is true that a large serving of barbecued steak has the same
quantity of carcinogens as about 100 cigarettes.
Also, even non-smokers who work as short order fry cooks for a long
time get more lung cancer than smokers.
My point is, when it comes to meddlesome nannyism, meat is getting
off scott free compared to tobacco.
No Name Guy|7.21.08 @ 6:08PM|#
It is true that a large serving of barbecued steak has the same
quantity of carcinogens as about 100 cigarettes [citation
needed].
Also, even non-smokers who work as short order fry cooks for a long
time get more lung cancer than smokers[citation needed].
Fixed.
Belinda|7.21.08 @ 6:12PM|#
"only about 5 percent of its members are physicians"
Well that's about 5,000 physicians. Of course they have
non-physician supporters. So does Doctors Without Borders. So
what.
|7.21.08 @ 6:13PM|#
In fact, according to researchers, just one 50-gram serving
of bacon, sausage, deli meats, or other processed meat (think one
hot dog) daily ...
Guys, note that they're saying you have to eat at least one 50-gram
serving each day to increase your risk of
colorectal cancer by 21%. I think that word "daily" was missed by a
few of the posters.
BTS|7.21.08 @ 6:14PM|#
"Has anyone met a lifelong vegan who does not look like he's
waiting to die?"
Oooh, ooh, I have. But they eat some sort of imitation meat or
something. I'm not really sure. I was surprised when she told me
that a grocery store in Alabama actually HAD a vegan section.
|7.21.08 @ 6:20PM|#
I guess I can now, drink, smoke and eat whatever I want,
without having to listen to the concerned citizens at the PCRM,
PETA, CSPI, etc.
But, Art- I thought zombies only ate brains.
Paul|7.21.08 @ 6:22PM|#
Strict vegans - not so much.
sorry, the term "Vegan" suggests "strict". If you ain't strict, you
ain't vegan, you're something else.
|7.21.08 @ 6:24PM|#
I love this. When you need to make a statement, use percentage
points.
If eating 50 grams of "processed meat" daily
increases my chances of contracting colorectal cancer by 21% but my
base chance is only 10%* then it only shifts my chances from 10% to
12.1%. That looks a hell of a lot less scary than 21%.
*This 10% base is entirely pulled out of my cancer riddled ass.
Truth be told I have no idea what the baseline of a Male Caucasian
of N. European descent eating a typical American diet is. I suspect
that, like many things in life, it is a number that really can't be
accurately quantified.
Tacos mmm...|7.21.08 @ 6:28PM|#
Also, even non-smokers who work as short order fry cooks for a long time get more lung cancer than smokers.
Long term fry cooks who are nonsmokers? That's a sample size of
about two.
|7.21.08 @ 6:29PM|#
Aaah crap. I see that Matt Moore beat me to it. This is what I get for posting first and reading later.
No Name Guy|7.21.08 @ 6:42PM|#
This article neglects the fact that this particular kind of cancer ran in Snow's family. I'll put his genes as a bigger risk factor than a deli sandwich.
Matt Moore|7.21.08 @ 7:07PM|#
No Name - According to the
American Cancer Society there's a genetic disorder called Lynch
Syndrome that increases the lifetime risk to 70 or 80%. That's an
increased risk of over 1000%. So, yeah... your genes are a much
bigger factor than sausage.
Moral of the story: Beware of statistics. 79% of them can be made
to say anything.
|7.21.08 @ 7:22PM|#
"This is why I only drink Brawndo, for the good of my bodily
fluids"
thoreau,
You drink Brawndo and are smart. I drink Braindo and I am not. Nor
brawny. Are these products mislabeled or what?
Inquiring--what passes for--minds want to know.
Belinda|7.21.08 @ 7:54PM|#
Saying that a condition runs in your family usually just means you're more prone to it. That doesn't mean you can't take steps to minimize your risks. I've actually heard people say that lung cancer runs in their family! I'll give you one guess why. It's also true that there are smokers who reach old age without getting lung cancer. EVERYONE who wants to avoid diseases should minimize their risks. Same with obesity. When it "runs in the family," it mysteriously doesn't hit the one vegan member.
Colin|7.21.08 @ 7:57PM|#
Most vegetarians I've known have been overweight. And those who
weren't had other health problems.
But there's something between the two extremes: eating lean,
unprocessed meats.
Colin|7.21.08 @ 8:01PM|#
In other food-related news, FDA just linked salmonella with
jalapeño peppers, something I eat religiously.
If I don't post again . . .
Mom|7.21.08 @ 8:10PM|#
"increases our risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21
percent. Do the math. If your spouse or your kids are eating ham
slices or hot dogs just a couple of times a week, they are
significantly increasing their risk of colon cancer."
Why does the PCRM just focus on the ass? Pretty telling.
|7.21.08 @ 8:12PM|#
"A new study published in a respected medical journal reports
that being born increases your risk of dying by 100%."
So does being aborted.
|7.21.08 @ 9:17PM|#
Unmitigated Boulderdash. Eat hearty people.
I'm pretty sure that eating people, hearty or otherwise, is
discouraged by most experienced defense attorneys.
Unless you mean "eat" hearty people.
|7.21.08 @ 10:42PM|#
lunchstealer sez I know some overweight vegetarians and
vegans.
Bovines are vegetarians.
|7.22.08 @ 3:22AM|#
The PCRM ran a "public service announcement" on the TV station
where I worked about a year ago: The spot depicted a crew of
gleeful busybodies in white coats barging into a house, snatching
"junk" food from the hands of the residents and replacing the grub
with "healthy" veggie crap. At the end you seen them coming out of
the house, crowing: "Only ten million to go..."
And yet, when one describes such creeping nanny-state shenanigans
as "the new fascism," people call it overreaction...
|7.22.08 @ 6:45AM|#
"Has anyone met a lifelong vegan who does not look like he's
waiting to die?"
Lifelong? They look that way after about 3 weeks, don't they?
I wonder if we all ever become 'virtuous' in what we eat, death
will cease for all humanity. I'm looking forward to it, eternity
with no pepperoni, yippee!
hooter_mcboob|7.22.08 @ 9:01AM|#
Aw, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. Forfty percent of all people know that
|7.22.08 @ 9:42AM|#
What's important is that the PCRM's contextless statistic will probably make it onto the evening news while Kerry and Nick are stuck doing Red Eye.
|7.22.08 @ 9:48AM|#
is this a hobby or do they actually get money from their
schtick?
And only 100,000? Fer crissakes, you can get 20 million people to
log in to fred on you tube, 100,000 is a tiny bunch of kooks in
this day and age.
Ironic|7.22.08 @ 10:00AM|#
"Bovines are vegetarians."
Herbivore is not the same as vegetarian. Vegetarians do not eat
meat by choice, with herbivores it is biology that does the
trick.
deluded1|7.22.08 @ 10:30AM|#
Also, most of the overweight vegetarians and vegans I ran into
had a steady diet of tofu burgers/steak and fried cheese.
Which is only about 3 friends. So, take that for what it's
worth.
|7.22.08 @ 10:59AM|#
"only about 5 percent of its members are physicians"
Well that's about 5,000 physicians. Of course they have non-physician supporters. So does Doctors Without Borders. So what. - Belinda
So, Médecins Sans Frontières is
an organization that sends real doctors to some of the worst places
in the world and really treats people. PCRM is on the model of CSPI
and other press release factories, whose the movers and shakers are
actually lawyers, lobbyists and PR flacks, as opposed to
scientists. By putting "Physicians" in its title PCRM is committing
the fallacy of the appeal to false authority. That's "so,
what."
Kevin
Carl|7.22.08 @ 11:02AM|#
Those who eat out a lot are subject not only to processed meats,
but trans fats from margarine, and oxidized oils from deep fat
friers. Not to mention the sugar from unlimited refill soft
drinks.
See "Super Size Me." Note that the guy who eats Big Macs every day
looks fine. But he rarely eats the french fries.
|7.22.08 @ 12:04PM|#
"It is true that a large serving of barbecued steak has the same
quantity of carcinogens as about 100 cigarettes."
That's why I don't smoke my barbecued steak.
Lars Kjos|7.22.08 @ 12:21PM|#
"By putting "Physicians" in its title PCRM is committing the
fallacy of the appeal to false authority."
A group of 5,000 physicians should be entitled to use the word
"physicians" whether you like them or not.
|7.22.08 @ 2:20PM|#
A group whose membership is 95% non-M.D.s isn't a "group of
5,000 physicians." If those 5K wanted to be called "The PETA
Physicians Section" or somewhat, sure, OK.
Kevin
Pietro|7.22.08 @ 3:20PM|#
Kevrob, I understand your frustration, but if you think that's
bad, wait till you hear about the misnamed "Center for Consumer
Freedom." It's an astroturf organization "whose...movers and
shakers are actually lawyers, lobbyists and PR flacks, as opposed
to scientists," or for that matter, consumers. It's a front group
for alcohol & tobacco companies, restaurants, junk food
companies and "payday loan" establishments. Despite the name it has
ZERO consumers. Its enemies include Mothers Against Drunk Driving,
Greenpeace, the Humane Society and the 5,000 physicians of the
PCRM.
You might want to consider taking action against them, since their
website seems to be making the exact same points as your posts
without citing you as a source!
|7.22.08 @ 4:00PM|#
So the people involved with the Center for Consumer Freedom
don't buy anything, ever?
Huh.
Evadne|7.22.08 @ 4:07PM|#
Kevrob, I think you misunderstood the point of Belinda's post. She's not comparing the value of the 2 groups' work, she's just saying that both groups have large percentages of lay support but legitimately use Physicians/Doctors in their names.
Pietro|7.22.08 @ 4:31PM|#
"So the people involved with the Center for Consumer Freedom
don't buy anything, ever?"
Good point. Now that you mention it, their spokesman looks like he
consumes quite a bit:
http://www.ethicurean.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/martosko.jpg
He's only in his 30s! Compare that to the head of the Humane
Society, a longtime vegan, who's in his 40s:
http://www.humanesociety.org/legislation_laws/wayne_pacelle_the_animal_advocate
Wisco|7.22.08 @ 6:14PM|#
Kevrob's link above (http://www.ncahf.org/articles/o-r/pcrm.html) claims that the number of actual physicians in the PCRB group at 0.5% percent, not 5%. Wikipedia has the same numbers: 100K lay members, and 5M of the anointed.
Belinda|7.22.08 @ 6:47PM|#
Oh dear.
Kevrob's link says "less than 0.5% of physicians are members," it
doesn't say that less than 0.5% of PCRM's members are
physicians.
Wikipedia says 100,000 lay members and 5,000 physician members. If
5,000 of 105,000 members are physicians, that's just under 5%, not
0.5%.
David|7.22.08 @ 7:03PM|#
It doesn't matter how many physicians they have. If they're wrong, they're wrong.
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