Dr. Robert Lawrence of Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future Says That Even Moderate Reductions in Meat Like Meatless Monday Can Help Reduce Cancer Risk

Newswise — Media Advisory WHO says processed meat causes cancer; red meat link likelyModerate reductions in meat like Meatless Monday may help reduce risk WHATThe World Health Organization said today that eating processed meat causes cancer, while unprocessed red meat may also be carcinogenic. The recommendation was based on a panel of 22 international experts who reviewed decades of research on the link between red meat, processed meats and cancer. The study was published in Lancet Oncology. Dr. Robert Lawrence of Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future says that even moderate reductions in meat like Meatless Monday can help reduce risk. “The WHO’s announcement linking the consumption of processed meats to colorectal cancer has long been supported by the scientific literature and public health researchers,” said Robert Lawrence, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and a professor with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Even minor increases in consumption of red and processed meats have been found to elevate an individual’s risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. Consumers should not only limit their consumption of processed and red meats, but work toward at least a 15 percent reduction of all meat consumption. The Meatless Monday campaign is a good and easy way to reduce meat consumption one day a week to improve individual health and support the environment.” WHO Dr. Robert Lawrence, scientific advisor to the Meatless Monday initiative, can discuss the science behind the initiative and beneficial role of foregoing meat even for just one day a week in cancer prevention. Dr. Lawrence is a professor for the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, and trained in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He served for three years as an epidemic intelligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Public Health Service. ABOUT MEATLESS MONDAYMeatless Monday is a nonprofit public health initiative of The Monday Campaigns. Sid Lerner, the organization’s chairman, founded the Meatless Monday movement in 2003, with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The campaign seeks to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer and conserve valuable environmental resources by encouraging the public to cut back on meat consumption one day a week. The campaign is founded on research that demonstrates that Monday is the day we are most primed to start and sustain a healthy new behavior. Since its launch 12 years ago, Meatless Monday has become an international movement with support from schools, celebrities, restaurants, and organizations around the world.