Meat Part I: How It’s Slowly Killing You by Strangling Your Heart and Riddling You With Cancer

It is a cornerstone of western culture, a sign of manliness, the basis of our strength: it is meat; but it is actually none of these things, and killing you to boot.

Most Americans would scoff at the idea of giving up meat. So ingrained is the summer barbecue, with dad at the grill, simmering burgers and ribs, the kids laughing and swimming in the pool, and perhaps some fireworks exploding overhead, that it’s hard to imagine that meat could be anything but good for us. We all sat through health class where some poor teacher droned on about the health pyramid, which included a large rung for meat. We’ve all been told that the protein in meat is responsible for our growth and muscle, with early imperialistic literature even claiming that it was responsible for European domination and superiority.

The fact is that serious scientific objection to meat started almost a century ago, without anyone really paying attention, and research has now reached a point where it can tell us, plainly and clearly, with little room for debate, that animal protein is the root cause for almost every western disease, also known as the diseases of affluence, and that an abstinence from animal protein combined with a large intake of fruits and vegetables can prevent, and in some cases even reverse, those diseases. In addition, many nonfatal health issues can also be cleared up with an abstinence from animal protein. Athletes, in many cases, have even been shown to perform at a much higher level when on a vegan diet. The fact is that human beings were not meant to eat meat, at least not in more than very minimal quantities, and they will function significantly better without it.

I believe that achieving the best health you can is a critical part of personal development; we are nothing without our health, and if you are pursuing arete, it’s simply not congruent with your goals to allow blatantly harmful substances to be a part of your diet with any regularity. As you continuously bring yourself more in tune with your goals, the conscious choice that most people make to ignore science and go on eating themselves into an early grave will simply not make sense anymore.

Before I go any further, I’d like to say that I am no scientist, but merely a very interested learner, and so I am relying on the work of doctors and scientists, who I will cite as I go along. If you’re looking for an excellent look at the science behind an animal protein-free diet, I cannot recommend highly enough a work by Dr. Colin Campbell,The China Study. Dr. Campbell is a well respected researcher, and the only serious rebuttal of his work that I’ve heard was from the Weston Price Foundation, a meat industry funded organization which counters with research by a dentist who operated in the the 1930s. Campbell offers a rebuttal to their remarks here.

Also, this article is about staying away from meat, but the harm caused by eggs, and particularly dairy, is probably equal or greater than that of meat. I intend to give at least dairy its own article at a future point, but as research shows that it is not just meat, but animal protein in general that endangers our health, you will commonly see me referring to all animal products, and citing sources talking about how all three affect health.

Part I of this article only deals with heart disease and cancer, but I’ll also be covering how animal protein emasculates males, causes diabetes and cancer, brings on dementia, is ruining the our finances and health care system, erodes athletic performance, and a number of other factors. A final section will deal with the practical implementation of a low fat, healthy vegan diet.

Atherosclerosis:

Atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries due to a build up of fatty plaques, also known as heart disease, is the root cause of heart attacks and strokes. Atherosclerosis also causes all manner of side effects like chest pains, shortness of breath, and fatigue. There is no mystery as to why the arteries harden; it’s because you’re eating a high fat diet. Nonsense, you say. Fat just appears in my arteries as a side effect of aging, perhaps delivered by a fairy. My healthy, and may I say manly, meat consumption could have nothing to do with with the fact that I’m on the fast track to death. Oh contraire my friend. Take a look at this helpful graph charting animal fat consumption vs heart disease, courtesy of DiseaseProof.

It’s pretty clear. Those countries with a high consumption of calories from animal protein have the highest incidence of heart disease. In the United States, 33.1 percent of the population will die prematurely from heart attacks and strokes, the end product of clogged arteries. That we lose so many to completly preventable diseases is sad indeed. Source: The Mayo Clinic

Now, if a third of the population is dying of something, you may say that it’s useless to fight such a landslide, but there’s no need to give in to mediocrity. It’s actually fairly simple to not die from Atherosclerosis; keep your cholesterol level below 150 mg/dl. In all scientific record, no one has ever died from a heart attack with a cholesterol level at of below 150 mg/dl. Each 1% increase above this level correlates to a 2-3% increase in risk of a heart attack. So how do you keep your cholesterol low? Eat a low fat vegan diet, but we’ll cover that in depth in a later post. Source: Doctor John McDougall

So let’s say you’ve been bad. You’ve been eating a high fat, junk food-laden diet for the past 50 years, and all those pork rinds are starting to catch up with you in the form of chest pains, shortness of breath, etc; a heart attack is on the horizon. Are you screwed? Nope. Plenty of recent research has shown that dietary changes can repair damaged arterial walls far more effectively than surgery is able to, and without the risk of brain damage to boot. (Brain Damage Source: 1). Adopt a strict vegetarian diet centered around whole grains, vegetables, fruit, beans, and completely lacking in animal protein, and you’re pretty much set. Source: Ornish Study. For more information about preventing and treating heart disease, check out Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.

Cancer:

As of today, about 24% of the US population will die of cancer, another preventable disease, but unfortunately, an only sometimes reversible one. If you’re arteries are clogged, the body has the power to heal that damage, but with cancer, it often cannot. The The United has spent 3 long decades waging a war on cancer, and we, as well as the rest of the world, are losing. The government pours billions of dollars each year into cancer research, and an estimated $110 billion a year, about 2% of the GNP, is pulled from the economy to fund it, and yet cancer rates continue to skyrocket; the incidence of thyroid cancer, for instance, has jumped 50% since 1975, when president Nixon officially opened the war. Sources: 1 & 2

Our generous spending is certainly an indication of our resolve, but it seems foolish to be fighting a war which we already have a peaceful solution for: diet. Animal protein is the leading cause of cancer. Not so, you say. I’ve heard all about pollution, chemicals, and tainted water causing all that cancer. You may be right; it’s quite likely that some cancer is caused or exasperated by pollution, and that’s certainly something that needs to be taken care of, but all of the data points its finger at high animal protein consumption and low intake of fruits and vegetables as the two the main culprits. Behold, also courtesy of diseaseproof:

Now keep in mind, not all cancer is caused only by meat, but the large bulk of it is, and the body’s ability to fight it off is compromised by eating meat. Sources: 2 & 3. The commonly followed idea of avoiding red meat will also not work. Source: 4

Now, does all this mean that if you’ve been indulging in meat for a long time and you’ve now gotten cancer that you’re screwed? The best science can tell you is maybe. Many people have been able to cure cancer by radially changing their diet, but it’s chancy at best. No diet has been consistently able to cure cancer, though a good one can usually slow it if nothing else. If you do have cancer, the best thing to do is eliminate all animal protein, make vegetables and fruits and healthy fats the main portion of your diet, and consult a nutrition centered doctor. One such, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, has an excellent article about what diet to follow when fighting cancer.

Part II of this article to follow soon.

1) Ahonen J, Salmenpera M. Brain injury after adult cardiac surgery. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2004 Jan;48(1):4-19

2) Campbell, T.C., B. Parpia, and J. Chen. 1990. A plant-enriched diet and long-term health, particularly in reference to China. Hort. Science 25 (12): 1512-14.

3) Singh, P.N., and G.E. Fraser. 1998. Dietary risk factors for colon cancer in a low-risk population. Am. J. Epidem. 148: 761-74.

4) Davidson, M.H., D. Hunninghake, K.C. Maki, et al. 1999. Comparison of the effects of lean red meat vs. lean white meat on serum lipid levels among free-living person with hypercholesterolemia: a long-term, randomized clinical trial. Arch. Intern. Med. 159 (12): 1331-38.

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