MANILA, Philippines - Observe a balanced diet.
That’s the advice of the Department of Health (DOH) to the public following the World Health Organization (WHO)’s warning against eating red and processed meat.
Processed meat has chemicals such as nitrates and other preservatives harmful to health, Assistant Secretary Gerardo Bayugo told reporters.
“Anything in excess is not advisable and all these processed meat somehow they contain chemicals and preservatives and all of these things are carcinogenic in excess,” he said.
A person could not easily abandon eating meat because it is a source of protein that the body’s muscles need, Bayugo said.
“Protein is for your body muscles because our muscles wear and tear,” he said.
“It needs to be replaced from time to time to produce new fibers. If you get injured, your protein is the one needed to repair the injuries.”
The best thing that a person can do is to make sure that his or her plate contains a balanced diet – meat, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables and water, Bayugo said.
“So if you are eating beef once in a while that’s OK,” he said.
“But as much as possible, eat fruits and vegetables and do exercise so that your resistance will be enhanced. And your protection against diseases will be stronger.”
Based on limited evidence, the consumption of red meat “causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect,” WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has reported.
This association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic and prostate cancer.