Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
>
> > The Beef Diet: Prescription for Disaster
> >
> > By Neal D. Barnard
> > President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
> > Washington, DC
> >
> > Imagine if two jumbo jets collided over a major city and,
> > in the resulting fireball, 4,000 people died -- it would
> > be a national tragedy -- one of the worst accidents ever.
> > People would demand that airlines and the government made
> > sure nothing like that could ever happen again.
> >
> > A tragedy of this proportion happened the day before
> > yesterday. It happened yesterday, too. It will happen
> > again today and tomorrow. Every single day in the United
> > States, 4,000 lives are taken by heart attacks and almost
> > nothing is being done about it.
> >
> > For years now, we have known of the role diet plays in
> > health, yet unhealthy diets are still promoted by the
> > government, livestock industries, advertisers, and even
> > doctors. Healthy diets must be presented and encouraged
> > by these groups if America's health care crisis is going
> > to be solved.
> >
> > Dietary changes are worth making. Two of the three
> > leading killers of Americans are heart disease and
> > stroke. Both are linked to "hardening of the arteries" --
> > arteriosclerosis -- which, in turn, is largely caused by
> > high-fat, cholesterol-laden diets. As we all know, animal
> > flesh, and beef in particular, is a major source of
> > cholesterol and saturated fat.
> >
> > The enormous toll of these diseases is taken one patient
> > at a time, as doctors finally give up trying to
> > resuscitate yet another heart that is damaged beyond
> > hope. The toll is also felt in the national pocketbook.
> > Coronary bypasses and expensive diagnostic tests are now
> > the budget-breaking routine in every city in America.
> >
> > Many other diseases also have their roots in our daily
> > meals. Breast cancer, which has reached epidemic
> > proportions, killing one woman every twelve minutes, is
> > clearly related to diet. The same connections have been
> > drawn between diet and cancers of the colon and prostate.
> > In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, some
> > 80 percent of cancer deaths are attributable to smoking,
> > diet, and other identifiable and controllable factors.
> > Foods rich in fat and oils increase our cancer risk.
> > About 40 percent of all the calories we eat comes from
> > the fat in meats, poultry, fish, dairy products, fried
> > foods and vegetable oils. These fats stimulate the over-
> > production of hormones which encourage cancer and promote
> > the development of carcinogens in the digestive tract.
> >
> > Not only are beef and other meats high in cholesterol and
> > saturated fats, but they are also low in some vital
> > vitamins and minerals, and they contain zero fiber.
> > Recently there has been enormous scientific attention
> > given to the role beta-carotene and other vitamins and
> > minerals play in blocking cancer growth. Whole grains,
> > fruits, legumes, and vegetables are full of vitamins and
> > minerals. And plant foods have fiber -- a substance
> > completely lacking in beef and other meats. We have long
> > known that fiber helps eliminate many common
> > gastrointestinal problems such as constipation; however,
> > evidence shows that it also is protective against a wide
> > variety of diseases ranging from colon cancer to
> > diabetes, and from gallstones to appendicitis. It also
> > binds with carcinogenic substances, bile, and excess
> > hormones which would otherwise rest in the digestive
> > tract, and moves them out of the body.
> >
> > As one studies the diets of people around the world, one
> > thing becomes clear: as people give up traditional diets
> > that are low in fats, high in fiber, and predominantly
> > plant-based in favor of beef and other meats, the
> > incidence of diseases such as cancer, heart disease,
> > diabetes, and kidney disease rises. At the same time,
> > life expectancy and quality of life decline. In recent
> > years, Japan has been the target of American beef and
> > tobacco promotional campaigns that seem to be some sort
> > of Pearl Harbor revenge program. Members of the higher
> > socioeconomic strata, who are adopting Westernized diets,
> > have much higher rates of breast, colon, and prostate
> > cancer and heart disease than their counterparts who eat
> > less (or no) meat.
> >
> > The Beyond Beef campaign is encouraging people to make
> > this simple change -- to step away from beef. It is a
> > move that is good for you, for others, for animals, and
> > for the environment. So live a little; try some new
> > cuisine; experiment with traditional and ethnic foods. It
> > could well help you live a lot healthier longer.
> >
> > - Dr. Neal Barnard is President of The Physicians
> > Committee For Responsible Medicine, a nationwide group of
> > physicians that promotes preventive medicine and
> > addresses controversies in modern medicine. In April
> > 1991, he and three other doctors unveiled a proposal to
> > replace the old Four Food Groups concept initiated in
> > 1956.
> >
> > In his book, "The Power of Your Plate," Dr. Barnard
> > documents the scientific evidence supporting a low-fat,
> > vegetarian diet as the most potent regimen to reduce risk
> > of heart disease, cancer, weight problems and food-borne
> > illness. Aside from serving as a practicing physician on
> > the faculty of the George Washington School of Medicine,
> > he is also an Associate Director for Behavioral Studies
> > at the Institute for Disease Prevention.
> >
> > Dr. Barnard is a director of Behavioral Studies at the
> > Institute for Disease Prevention at George Washington
> > University.
> >
> > Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
> > Om Shanti
>
> The Beef-Colon Cancer Link
>
> Excerpt
>
> Now a spate of new studies are connecting red meat
> consumption to colon cancer, the number two cause of
> cancer in the United States. Over 100,000 cases of colon
> cancer are diagnosed each year, and over 50,000 died of
> the disease in 1990 alone.
>
> In a six-year study of 88,751 women from the ages of 30
> to 59 years old, the largest study ever conducted on
> colon cancer and diet, researchers found that women who
> ate red meat every day are "two and a half times more
> likely to have colon cancer than women who ate meat
> sparingly or not at all."
>
> Dr Walter Willett, of the Brigham and Women's Hospital of
> Boston, the director of the study, said of the findings:
> "If you step back and look at the data, the optimum
> amount of red meat you eat should be zero."
>
> In the beef-eating cultures of the Western world, the
> incidence of colon cancer is up to ten times the rate of
> non-beef-eating cultures of Asia and the developing
> world.
>
> - Kolata, Gina, "Animal Fat is Tied to Colon Cancer" New
> York Times, December 13, 1990
>
> - Willet, Walter C., et al, "Relationship of Meat, Fat
> and Fiber Intake to the Risk of Colon Cancer in
> Prospective Study Among Women" New England Journal of
> Medicine, 333:24 (1990), pg. 1664
>
> - Rifkin, Jeremy, "Beyond Beef," Dutton, 1992, pg. 172

'A vegetarian diet can prevent 97% of our coronary
occlusions.'

- 'Diet and Stress in Vascular Disease,' Journal Of The
American Medical Association, Vol. 176, No. 9, June 3,
1961, pg 806.