http://society.guardian.co.uk/health...529792,00.html

Study suggests link between eating red meat and Crohn's disease

James Meikle, health correspondent
Saturday July 16, 2005

Scientists have been asked to investigate a possible link between eating
meat and Crohn's disease, a debilitating illness affecting 100,000 Britons.
A study of the diets and lifestyles of 218 patients has revealed a
statistical association with eating beef or canned meat such as corned beef.

The two-year study by researchers at the University of East Anglia has
cleared dairy products, previously considered a possible factor in the
disease, and tap water.

They asked patients only about meat consumption, since it had not been
considered a likely source of infection.

Yet results suggested the chances of someone with Crohn's being a meat eater
were 40% greater than those of someone without the disease being a meat
eater.

The Food Standards Agency is asking its food safety advisers to consider
what research may be necessary to establish more firmly whether there is a
link.

Last month, a study revealed those who ate two portions of red meat a day
had a 35% greater risk of developing bowel cancer than those who ate one
portion a week.

The agency said its advice on eating meat remained the same - it could be
eaten as part of a balanced and varied diet as it was a good source of iron,
zinc, B vitamins and protein.

Officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the
link might be a statistical blip or linked to total protein intake rather
than a single infectious agent.

Paul Hunter, lead researcher on the government-funded project, said: "The
findings related to both water and dairy consumption are reassuring.

"The other dietary associations at this stage do not indicate a cause and
effect relationship."