Avoid Meating Your Way To Overweight and Colon Cancer

Among the most important risk factors for colon cancer are overweight and obesity. And by most important, I mean something that is modifiable (can be controlled by the choices we make everyday) and that contributes a lot to the burden of colon cancer in this country. In fact, health experts estimate that about 30% of all colon cancer cases in the United States are directly due to people having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 22.5 kilograms per meter squared (kg/m2).

Using our BMI calculator, you'll quickly see that a BMI of 22.5 is not particularly high. In other words, you have to be pretty fit and thin to maintain a BMI of 22.5. For a woman, a BMI of 22.5 translates into being 5'4" (64 inches) tall and weighing about 131 pounds. For a man, a BMI of 22.5 translates into being 5'11" (71 inches) tall and weighing about 161 pounds.

What does this have to do with meat?

When we're talking about obesity, why focus on meat? Because the connection between meat eating and obesity just got stronger. A study published in the June 2009 issue of International Journal of Obesity provides support for the notion that the biggest meat-eaters have the biggest bellies. Researchers found that people in the United States who eat the most meat have a roughly 50% higher risk of being obese compared with people who eat the least meat. As well, these heavy-duty meat eaters have a 33% higher risk of central obesity, which means carrying fat around the mid-section and belly areas. This is particularly bad news, because fat around the middle of the body increases risk of colon cancer and other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease much more than fat in the butt and thighs. Finally, major meat-eaters consume on average, about 700 more calories per day than people who eat meat the least often.

The Bottom Line

What this study tells us is that eating a lot of meat may be a fast-track to being overweight or obese. And knowing that being above a healthy body weight is a major risk factor for colon cancer should give us all incentive to cut back on both our meat-eating and our body size. You certainly don't need to swear off all meat, but making some healthy choices can allow you to enjoy your favorite foods, but keep yourself healthy too. A few tips to accomplish these goals include:

• Consider red meat a treat that you enjoy no more than one to two times per week.
• Also consider high-fat processed meats, such as bacon and sausage a treat that you eat no more than once per week.
• In place of red meat, try leaner options including skinless chicken breast, turkey, fish, and non-animal options such as beans, tofu, or tempeh.
• As you decrease the meat in your diet, fill up your plate with more vegetables, fruit, and beans. Not only are these foods natural cancer-fighters, but they also fill you up with fewer calories than high-fat meats.
• When you do enjoy red meat, opt for leaner cuts, such as round steak, shoulder steak, strip steak, tenderloin steak, T-bone steak, and 95% (or more) lean ground beef. Trim off visible fat. These options provide 10 or fewer grams of total fat, 4 to 5 or fewer grams of saturated fat, and no more than 95 milligrams of cholesterol for a 3.5 ounce serving.