But, let’s have a closer look at all this! 🔍
I applaud the #EUCancerPlan *BUT* caution: putting #meat 🥩 (a nourishing, evolutionary food) in the same box as 🚬 to solve a contemporary health challenge, would be basing policy on assumptions rather than robust data.
#FollowTheScience yes, but not just part of it!
THREAD👇
\U0001f534LIVE \U0001f4c5Today \u23f012:00 CET
— EU_HEALTH - #EUCancerPlan (@EU_Health) February 3, 2021
We are presenting today the #EUCancerPlan as part of a strong \U0001f1ea\U0001f1fa#HealthUnion
Follow the presentation live here: https://t.co/Cr8ATvzNkg#WorldCancerDay pic.twitter.com/zdByuklWV6
But, let’s have a closer look at all this! 🔍
Unwarranted use of causal language is widespread in nutritional sciences, posing a systemic problem & undermining credibility.
https://t.co/wnCfHTDBdg
Healthy user bias is a major problem. Healthy middle classes are TOLD to eat less red meat (due to historical rather than rational reasons, cf link). So, they obey.
https://t.co/7Zxlc3x81u
Health-focused Westerners eat less red meat, whereas those who don’t adhere to dietary advice tend to have unhealthier lifestyles.
That tells us very little about meat AS SUCH being responsible for disease.
Example: someone with elevated visceral fat needs indeed to be worried (6x risk of colon cancer!) For meat, however, risk level is so small (close to x1), that we’re out of business.
Why?
When we look at studies with better design or move out of a US context (e.g. Asia or worldwide), MORE meat is associated with BETTER health (!?) Indicative of a cultural construct rather than a paradox.
As stated in this highly cited study on meat & mortality, data 'should be interpreted with caution due to the high heterogeneity observed [&] the possibility of residual confounding' https://t.co/1tOA2qglku
But.... such studies fail to indicate harm!
Once more: INSUFFICIENT evidence (not to mention the extrapolation concerns)
Although associated with colorectal cancer, why not mention as well that meat shows a PROTECTIVE association with melanoma? Or that vegetarians in the UK are not better off (maybe WORSE)? Or that newer studies show absence of effects?
Etc.
Why did they do this and what does it mean?
For an overview of his objections, cf: https://t.co/3BBr32pgSu
To go from risk to hazard, we need… a risk assessment.
Sunlight is a #hazard ("1"), more so than red meat ("2A", which is at the level of being a hairdresser) & also a #risk under certain conditions. But it's fair to say that sunlight is mostly beneficial (vitamin D being just one reason)
Or blame the beef patty for the ultraprocessed bun, sauces, fries, & soda dietary background against which it is consumed.
In the study below, eg., more meat either parallels higher (veg-) or lower (!) (veg+) risk. https://t.co/pqWI3u248Q
When using proper standards of evidence, the case against red & processed meat looks slim (weak to very weak evidence). https://t.co/n188G7T24z
Plus a vitriolic smear campaign.
INTERESTING READ! 👉 https://t.co/lxrXpzWUsR
- https://t.co/TdEeUIeskT
- https://t.co/YEYNup6Q6B
- https://t.co/ejVdqhqjoH
- https://t.co/O50BxmK0xJ
- Etc, etc.
Let’s focus on ultraprocessed junk instead, when we blame the Western diet?
https://t.co/1nGQrGqqKn
More from Health
Now you know I love to sh-t in Harvard. But I also like accuracy. So I decided to go look at Harvard’s catalog to see its lack of military history that this article describes (they only teach history of pets it claims) and what I found shocked me! Shocked me! A thread: 1/
First off, Harvard students literally have multiple sections of military history that they can take listed. (It appears these ones are taught at MIT, so they might have to walk down the street for these) but... 2/
Say they want to stay on campus...they can only take numerous classes on war and diplomacy...3/
They have an entire class on Yalta. That’s right. An entire class on Yalta. 4/
But wait! There is more! They can take the British Empire, The Fall of the Roman Empire for those wanting traditional topics... 5/
\u201cMilitary history\u201d is only in decline if you\u2014like the author & experts in this obnoxious piece\u2014see the subject as a narrowly defined, white dude-oriented, guns & bayonets approach. The field is 1000% better off w/today\u2019s diversity of topics & historians. https://t.co/dUf3OWyVpQ
— Jonathan S. Jones (@_jonathansjones) February 1, 2021
First off, Harvard students literally have multiple sections of military history that they can take listed. (It appears these ones are taught at MIT, so they might have to walk down the street for these) but... 2/
Say they want to stay on campus...they can only take numerous classes on war and diplomacy...3/
They have an entire class on Yalta. That’s right. An entire class on Yalta. 4/
But wait! There is more! They can take the British Empire, The Fall of the Roman Empire for those wanting traditional topics... 5/