How Eating Meat Can Indeed Be as Bad as Smoking Cigarettes

I saw many people disagreeing with an article from The Guardian on how eating animal protein can be as bad as smoking cigarettes. I wasn't surprised that the people who disagree with the article are currently eating meat and want to continue eating it.

Their response to the article—
http://www.todayonline.com/voices/report-protein-rich-diet-was-misleading
http://robbwolf.com/2014/03/04/meat-bad-cigarettes/
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2014/03/animal-protein-as-bad-as-smoking/

The National Health Service in UK(NHS) misread the study and did not realize the article was referring to a meat protein diet—
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/03March/Pages/high-protein-diet-may-be-harmful-for-middle-aged.aspx


The following is my response to all of them—

Cooked meat contains heterocyclic amines(HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs).

Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cooked-meats

"-Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemicals formed when muscle meat, including beef, pork, fish, and poultry, is cooked using high-temperature methods, such as pan frying or grilling directly over an open flame.

-The formation of HCAs and PAHs is influenced by the type of meat, the cooking time, the cooking temperature, and the cooking method."

There is a strong correlation of Denmark's high grilled red meat consumption with its no.1 ranking for cancer rate in the world.

I wrote something about red meat consumption and its correlation to cancer a while ago.

http://thethinktankguideforsmarterliving.blogspot.sg/2014/02/getting-full-dirt-on-denmark-happiest.html

Grilled red meat shops are popular in Denmark and Denmark has the highest number of meat-cooking grills per capita. This high consumption of red meat correlates with Denmark having the top spot for the rate of cancer for all countries in the world, which seems too high of a direct correlation even if their free medical system allows more people to be detected from the life-threatening disease. The exercise the Danes get from cycling don't seem to be able to offset the effects of the toxins that come from eating cooked meat.

(Even a Danish Professor from the Department of Public Health at a Danish University has advised on the cutting down of red meat)
Barbecue season: cut down on the red meat.
http://skt.au.dk/en/current/article/artikel/grilltid-skaer-ned-paa-det-roede-koed/

Cancer rate per 100,000 ranked 1st in the world
Data for cancer frequency by country
http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/cancer_frequency.php

Why is Denmark the cancer capital of the world?
www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8277418/Why-is-Denmark-the-cancer-capital-of-the-world.html"