Beef, breast cancer and fundraising

Earlier this year, the Calgary Stampede issued a press release saying: "The 2007 Calgary Stampede will see a concentrated focus on the beef industry." In October, the Stampede will play host to "Beef 2007," the International Livestock Congress. Nothing odd about that. After all, rodeo and the beef industry are inextricably linked, with one promoting and supporting the other. What is odd is that the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) would involve itself with activities that promote the consumption of beef when meat has been linked to cancer in numerous studies.

In the past couple of years, a number of rodeos across Canada, most notably the Calgary Stampede, have taken part in a fundraising campaign for the CBCF called Tough Enough to Wear Pink. Supported by the Wrangler clothing company, the campaign raises money through the sale of pink Wrangler shirts and other pink-themed merchandise, a percentage of which goes to the CBCF.

Everyone seems to benefit. Wrangler's brand is promoted and the CBCF gets money for cancer research. And the rodeo can associate itself with a worthy cause — quite handy to blunt criticism over its controversial treatment of animals (although one anti-rodeo activist recently told a Calgary newspaper that it was like putting pink icing on a cow pat).

But, while the CBCF joins the cowboys, cattle producers and meat companies at rodeo barbecues across the country, shouldn't it consider the health implications of the product it is indirectly helping to promote? In 2007 alone, several pieces of research have made connections between meat consumption and breast cancer.

Earlier this month, a well-publicized study showed that Asian women who adopted the Western "meat-sweet" (high in meat and sugar) were at higher risk of developing breast cancer. In May, a study funded by the American Institute for Cancer Research found that women who consistently consume a diet high in grilled, barbecued or smoked meat and low in vegetables and fruit significantly increased their risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer. In April, an eight-year study at the University of Leeds found that women eating large amounts of red and processed meat have a significantly higher chance of developing breast cancer compared to those on vegetarian diets.

Earlier studies made similar findings. In 2006, for example, a Harvard Medical School study found that younger women who regularly ate red meat appear to face an increased risk of breast cancer. In 2003, a study at the Portland VA Medical Center found red meat intake was significantly associated with an increased breast cancer risk.

These come on top of a number of studies associating meat consumption with a variety of other cancers, such as colon, stomach and bowel.

While scientists may debate whether there is enough evidence for a certain causal relationship between meat and breast cancer, surely there is sufficient information to raise serious concerns.

Some cancer charities recommend limiting meat consumption. The World Cancer Research Fund, for example, advises eating no more than 80 grams of red meat a day. Obviously, a precautionary approach makes sense to some experts.

Given all this, you would think that the CBCF would stay well clear of even the most tenuous association with the meat industry. Linking up with rodeos and cattlemen is a bit like the Canadian Lung Association raising funds at an event sponsored by the tobacco industry.

The hoopla that surrounds the Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign is supposed to raise awareness of cancer. But are all those people buying pink shirts at rodeos being made aware of the mounting research that links cancer and meat? Perhaps that wouldn't go down too well when the Calgary Stampede is hosting "Beef 2007."

Everyone wants to find a cure for cancer, but there seems to be more and more people interested in preventing the disease. If diet, including the reduction of meat consumption, proves to be part of an effective prevention strategy, then how will the CBCF justify its public relations connections to the very people who help promote meat?

Perhaps it's time the CBCF looks beyond lucrative fundraising schemes and seeks partners more in line with its purpose.

source : www.theglobeandmail.com