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NickB79

(20,363 posts)

69. Our ancestors didn't live long enough to develop colon cancer from their diet

Sun Nov 1, 2015, 04:51 PM

Nov 2015

Red meat is linked specifically to colon cancer. While it can occur in younger individuals, the average age a person develops such a cancer is in their later years, between 45-65 yr old. Even with modern lifespans into the 70's and beyond, the incidence rate with our current level of meat consumption is measured in single digits.

And while there were the occasional clan elders that may have made it to an advanced age, the vast majority of our ancestors were dying off before their diets would have caused any kind of cancers to develop. The incidence rate of colon cancer in ancient man would likely incredibly low.

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Wait, Didn�t Our Ancestors Eat Red Meat? // Food myths (video) [View all] Panich52 Oct 2015 OP

Would it be a bad thing for us to eat less meat, especially red meat? daleanime Oct 2015 #1

going meatless will save a ton of $$ - cost of meat, cost of cleaning animal fat, time spent cooking msongs Oct 2015 #3

And it's good for the planet.... daleanime Oct 2015 #7

It will not help the planet. former9thward Oct 2015 #39

Care G_j Oct 2015 #55

Humans evolved to eat meat. former9thward Oct 2015 #64

informative answer! G_j Nov 2015 #65

and you are qualified to say evolution has stopped in this regard? JanMichael Nov 2015 #70

The idea that meat is "bad" for a human body that was deigned to eat it former9thward Nov 2015 #71

you can eat any style and probably be ok up to 65. JanMichael Nov 2015 #72

I think genetics is at least 90% of it. former9thward Nov 2015 #74

give or take a few points yes. toss in the reduction of pre-35yrold death causers the end is still JanMichael Nov 2015 #75

Agreed on standing work stations. former9thward Nov 2015 #82

There is no way I'd want to live to 90 yeoman6987 Nov 2015 #77

if i could be a healthy 80 or 90 fine. JanMichael Nov 2015 #79

Well I think retirement should be 65 and give retirees 10 years to enjoy themselves yeoman6987 Nov 2015 #80

Agreed and it should be full SS at 62 or even 60. former9thward Nov 2015 #81

I'm sure it would be good for my health...but I *really* like meat. Rond Vidar Oct 2015 #23

Then enjoy it..... daleanime Oct 2015 #29

Why? I fully acknowledge the health risks involved. Rond Vidar Oct 2015 #33

Just about everything causes cancer if overdone. Panich52 Oct 2015 #46

Ancient humans ate anything they could get their hands on. bklyncowgirl Oct 2015 #2

Bad neighbors: The other white meat. hunter Oct 2015 #4

And wild caught meat is different than leftyladyfrommo Oct 2015 #63

Yep. They even ate grubs shrike Nov 2015 #66

Yes, our ancestors ate red meat, but not much of it Spider Jerusalem Oct 2015 #5

Our physiology isn't very consistent with grazing HereSince1628 Nov 2015 #73

You mean the ones who barely lived passed their twenties? edhopper Oct 2015 #6

False. former9thward Oct 2015 #40

I am talking about first humans, edhopper Oct 2015 #44

They were also exposed to sunlight, which also causes cancer muriel_volestrangler Oct 2015 #8

Some of the reporting on this issue is less than clear... Eleanors38 Oct 2015 #9

If you're probably going to die before your 35th birthday, Oneironaut Oct 2015 #10

maybe we should be eating it raw Shankapotomus Oct 2015 #11

"Perhaps it's charring it that is bad?" ... Horrifying!! ChisolmTrailDem Oct 2015 #12

I'm not about to eat raw red meat Shankapotomus Oct 2015 #13

Me niether! The mere thought of not charring my meat is horrifying! A brisket without the... ChisolmTrailDem Oct 2015 #17

i get it now Shankapotomus Oct 2015 #19

Yea, like that... ChisolmTrailDem Oct 2015 #22

As far as we know, homo sapiens never ate red meat raw... Humanist_Activist Oct 2015 #41

Rather sure we did Panich52 Oct 2015 #48

The fact is that Homo Erectus most likely were the ones who started widespread use of fire for... Humanist_Activist Oct 2015 #51

For ancient man, it was not essy to find/track/kill/butcher/store/prepare meat SoCalDem Oct 2015 #14

We evolved as omnivores FLPanhandle Oct 2015 #15

HA! laundry_queen Oct 2015 #38

We evolved to eat processed meat? FSogol Oct 2015 #16

Duzy Shankapotomus Oct 2015 #18

Yes, not to mention pop tarts, Pringles and high fructose corn syrup. yellowcanine Oct 2015 #21

Wow, what sloppy thinking TheSarcastinator Oct 2015 #20

Meat du jour chervilant Oct 2015 #24

This is the vegan version of young earth creationism. betterdemsonly Oct 2015 #25

not sure they ate meat pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones. Kip Humphrey Oct 2015 #26

That's what I was thinking while reading the geadline justiceischeap Nov 2015 #67

And old age was 35 years old. applegrove Oct 2015 #27

Sure, but they are all dead now. bluedigger Oct 2015 #28

did they process it? spanone Oct 2015 #30

don't think it had sodium nitrite in it back then. n/t wildbilln864 Oct 2015 #31

and they're all dead Demonaut Oct 2015 #32

Aren't there cave paintings that are thousands of years old depicting animals being chased with cherokeeprogressive Oct 2015 #34

Most humans didn't live long enough for a small bump in the risk of colon cancer... Silent3 Oct 2015 #35

A lot has to do with the way it's cooked. ananda Oct 2015 #36

My anthropology/human prehistory classes would disagree with this article laundry_queen Oct 2015 #37

This reply gets a 'Rec'. :) Panich52 Oct 2015 #49

It's not the meat. It's the crap you ingest with the meat. ladyVet Oct 2015 #42

"So despite what you may hear, it isn�t about the quality of the meat... Silent3 Oct 2015 #43

It ryan_cats Oct 2015 #45

Nobobdy's tut-tutting meat eaters. yewberry Oct 2015 #52

Yes, our early human ancestors frogmarch Oct 2015 #47

Whether or not brontosaurus burgers were considered "red meat", Nye Bevan Oct 2015 #50

So man Mendocino Oct 2015 #53

Nah, Alley Oop woulda popped that T-Rex in the snout. JustABozoOnThisBus Oct 2015 #54

What did man eat for a hundred thousand years? Z_California Oct 2015 #56

the red meat our ancestors ate KT2000 Oct 2015 #57

So extremely high in mercury? Sorry, had to point that out, heavy metal contamination is worldwide.. Humanist_Activist Oct 2015 #60

Dioxin too nt KT2000 Oct 2015 #61

Most of the meat I ate as a kid was fish my dad caught off Los Angeles... hunter Oct 2015 #58

They ate red meat, white meat, and even green meat when they were hungry. hobbit709 Oct 2015 #59

So there is a slightly higher risk of cancer? Driving a car raises your risk of death too. nt Quixote1818 Oct 2015 #62

I generally interpret these meat / salt / sugar / fat reports as follows: DirkGently Nov 2015 #68

Our ancestors didn't live long enough to develop colon cancer from their diet NickB79 Nov 2015 #69

I'd add that a lot of the lifespan estimations are at birth, skewing the numbers MisterP Nov 2015 #76

Our ancestors mostly died of old age in their 40s Warpy Nov 2015 #78