What Firefighters Need to Know about Red Meat

由斯蒂芬妮·伯格（Stephanie Berg）和丽塔·凯里（Rita Carey）

Firefighters love red meat. Meat provides protein, the building block of muscles; it fills us up when we are hungry; and it tastes good. However, before grilling up another batch of burgers, all firefighters should know that red meat may increase their risk of developing cancer, the number two killer in the United States. In fact, according to the 2009 Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention Report (a study released by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund), one-third of the most common cancers in the U.S. could be prevented with diet and lifestyle changes.¹Eating less red meat overall and avoiding all processed meats (smoked, cured, or preserved with chemicals like sodium nitrite) are two of the primary dietary changes recommended in this report. Like it or not, most scientific evidence suggests that red meat increases the risk of developing cancer, through the quantity we eat and/or the way it is prepared and preserved.

The Evidence

Lifestyle and diet choices contribute to an overwhelming number of cancer cases in the United States each year. In fact, an estimated 25 to 30 percent of cancer cases are from tobacco use and 30 to 35 percent of cases are linked to diet.^2,3These surprising numbers should prompt all firefighters to think about ways to live a healthier lifestyle, and modifying dietary choices to reduce red meat intake is a great place to start.

Why begin with reducing red meat in your diet? The preponderance of evidence points to red meat as a key contributor to cancer incidence in the United States. In 2005, a study published in the美国医学协会杂志concluded that the consumption of red meat and processed meat may increase the risk of colon cancer, the third most common cancer affecting men and women in the United States.^4,5这项研究中的研究人员在结论中使用了“ May”一词，因为如果他们吃了富含红色和加工过的肉类的饮食（同样，并非每个吸烟的人都会患上肺癌），并不是每个人都会患上结肠癌。尽管如此，他们发现，在结肠的下部，饮食最多的红肉患癌症的可能性比那些少量饮食的人高30％至40％。此外，那些经常食用肉类的人比没有患有直肠癌的肉类患有直肠癌的机会高20％。

Other studies have linked red and processed meat intake with an increased incidence of lung and pancreatic cancer (the second and fourth most common cancers) in men and women.^6,7,8在所有这些研究中，加工的肉包括培根，香肠，午餐肉，火腿和热狗。红肉包括牛肉，猪肉和羊肉。

Why does red meat increase your risk of developing cancer? No one knows definitively, but several carcinogens in meat have been identified, including heterocyclic amines (HCAs) (formed during high-temperature cooking), iron, and nitrites (additives in processed meats that preserve flavor and color). Cooking meats at high temperatures in the absence of moisture (grilling, pan-frying, or broiling) produces HCAs. These chemicals can alter the structure of cellular DNA and turn healthy cells into cancer cells. The more brown, crispy, or charred meat becomes during cooking, the more HCAs are formed. Nitrites added to processed meats (as well as nitrites found in water and other foods) interact with iron naturally found in meat to form carcinogenic compounds called N-nitroso compounds. Indeed, avoiding all nitrite-preserved meats (bologna, ham, bacon, and other processed meats) and meats grilled or broiled at high temperatures may significantly reduce your risk of developing some types of cancer.

多少红肉是安全的？没有人可以确认。美国癌症协会估计，每天吃超过3盎司的红肉（相当于大型快餐汉堡包中的肉量）或超过一盎司的加工肉（相当于博洛尼亚一片）5每周至6天可能会使自己有结肠癌的风险。每天吃超过2盎司的红肉或每周2至3天的加工肉的妇女也可能有类似的危险。国家癌症研究所建议吃的少于四分之一磅的汉堡包或每天三片加工肉。⁹杂志上发表的一项研究致癌作用found an increased risk of colorectal cancer in people who ate three or more servings of red meat per week.¹⁰In other words, although no specific recommendations for red meat intake have been established, researchers do agree that the less red meat we eat, the better.

The Muscle Debate

Can you get enough protein to build muscle if you are cutting down on your intake of red meat? Yes, you absolutely can. This fact becomes obvious when you consider the amount of protein actually needed for muscle building as well as the large variety of foods that provide protein in the diet. A recent position paper developed by the American Dietetics Association, the Canadian Dietetics Association, and the American College of Sports Medicine (March 2009) states that protein needs for athletes can range from 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound ideal body weight per day. Therefore, an athletic 170-pound man could meet his protein needs with anywhere from 92 to 136 grams per day. That may sound like a lot of protein, but it is actually pretty easy to get that much in a day by eating a variety of healthy foods.

蔬菜，水果，谷物，豆类，坚果，乳制品，肉类，鱼和家禽都含有蛋白质（脂肪和糖是唯一不蛋白质的食物）。一些食物，例如肉类，鱼，家禽，乳制鸡蛋和大豆，其中包含建造和维持肌肉质量所需的所有必需氨基酸（蛋白质的基础）。其他的，例如蔬菜，豆类，谷物和坚果，其中大部分都包含。但是，没有必要同时消耗所有这些必需氨基酸。我们的身体将氨基酸储存几天，可以根据需要从该商店中抽取。因此，您可以全天从各种食物中获取所需的所有必需氨基酸。换句话说，含有各种食物（包括谷物，豆类，坚果和蔬菜）的饮食可以提供您身体所需的所有蛋白质。

Staying Strong and Reducing Cancer Risk

3盎司的家禽，鱼或肉（一块卡片的尺寸）：21克蛋白 1个鸡蛋：6克蛋白 8盎司牛奶：9克蛋白 2汤匙花生酱：8克蛋白 1 cup cooked oatmeal: 6 grams protein 1杯煮熟的西兰花:4克蛋白质 1杯煮熟的玉米：5克蛋白 1杯煮熟的糙米：5克蛋白质（白米4克） 1 cup cooked pasta: 7 grams protein 有关食物的其他营养信息，请查看: www.calorieking.com www.nutritiondata.com

How do you put this information into practice and follow a diet that keeps you healthy and strong? First, estimate your daily protein needs using the calculation cited above (0.5 to 0.8 grams protein per pound ideal body weight). Next, become familiar with the protein content in a variety of foods, especially those foods that come from plants. The protein content of some typical foods is listed in the sidebar along with a few helpful Web sites that provide protein information for a large variety of foods. If you take a day and calculate how much protein you normally consume, you will likely find that large amounts of red meat are not necessary. Finally, plan out a few meals and snacks to try during the week, sans red meat! A great resource for inspiration and meat-free recipes is The Engine 2 Diet, by Rip Esselstyn, a firefighter and former professional tri-athlete based in Austin, Texas. In 2003, when one of the firefighters on Esselstyn’s crew found out his total cholesterol was 335 mg/dL (a healthy level is less than 200 mg/dL), Esselstyn convinced his entire crew to follow a meat-free diet. In three weeks, the firefighter with the elevated cholesterol lowered his lipids by more than 100 points, to 194 mg/dL, proving that food can be powerful medicine.

如果您选择吃红肉，请考虑一些更健康的准备方法。在烤肉，烤或锅中腌制肉，它将减少形成的引起癌症的HCA的数量。另外，考虑炖或炖红肉（湿食方法不会产生HCA），并留下鸡肉和鱼的烤架。消除诸如博洛尼亚，香肠和意大利辣香肠等加工的红肉，并用烤火鸡或金枪鱼代替它们，这也会降低您的癌症风险。

Considering all this information linking diet and disease, what’s the bottom line? Red meat in large amounts hurts us rather than helps us. Be aware that excessive red meat intakes may not seem that excessive to us, especially if our family, work, and ethnic/national culture condone and celebrate eating lots of meat. However, research indicates that consuming that much meat jeopardizes our health and increases our risk for the number one and two killers in the United States: heart disease and cancer. Many of us love a good steak, a juicy hamburger, or a hearty ham sandwich, but are the potential health consequences worth indulging in these foods more than every once in awhile?

What a 170-pound man could eat to build muscle and reduce his risk of cancer (goal: 92 to 136 grams of protein per day)

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2.Anand P，Kunnumakkara A，Sundaram C等。癌症是一种可预防的疾病，需要重大的生活方式改变。parm res。2008; 25（9）：2097-115。

3.唐纳森MS。营养和癌症：抗癌饮食证据的综述。Nutr J. 2004; 3：19。

4.JAMA，2005年美国癌症协会。吃很多与结肠癌有关的红肉。可用网址：http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Eating_Lots_of_Red_Meat_Linked to Colon_Cancer.asp。9月11日访问^th, 2009.

5.北美中央癌症登记协会的数据评估与出版委员会。可用网址：http://www.naaccr.org/index.asp?Col_SectionKey=11&Col_ContentID=48。2009年9月29日访问。

6.Tasevska N，Sinha R，Kipnis VC，Subar AF，Leitzmann MF等。对肉类，烹饪方法，肉类诱变剂，血红素铁和肺癌风险的前瞻性研究。Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89：1884-94。

7.Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, Cross AJ, Silverman DT, Schairer C, Thompson FE, et al. Meat and meat-mutagen in take and pancreatic cancer risk in the NIH-AARP cohort.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(12):2664-75.

8.Sinha R, Cross AJ, Graubard BL, Leitzmann MF, Schatzkin A. Meat Intake and Mortality. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):562-571.

9。U.S. News. High Meat Consumption Linked to Heightened Cancer Risk. Available at:http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/071211/high-meat-consumption-linked-to-heighighted-cancer-cancer-crisk。9月11日访问^th, 2009.

10。Joshi AD，Corral R，Siegmund KD等。红肉和家禽摄入量，核苷酸切除修复中的多态性以及不匹配修复途径以及结直肠癌的风险。致癌作用。2009; 30（3）：472-9。

Stephanie Berg has a master’s degree in executive fire service leadership from Grand Canyon University and a bachelor of science degree in exercise science from Arizona State University. She has certifications with the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified personal trainer, with the American College in Sports Medicine as a registered clinical exercise physiologist and certified health and fitness specialist, and with the American Council on Exercise as a peer fitness trainer. She is a firefighter with Central Yavapai Fire District and an exercise physiologist at Yavapai Regional Medical Center.

Rita Carey, MS, RD, CDE, is a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator with more than 20 years of experience in public health and clinical nutrition. She has written extensively forToday’s Dietician和糖尿病自我管理关于健康和糖尿病管理。