Spaniards eat too much meat, especially processed types, reveals WHO

PROCESSED meat being classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the same category of cancer-causing substances as cigarettes has caused a stir among manufacturers throughout Europe – and highlighted the fact that people in Spain eat too much of it.

A total of 80,979 people in Spain work in the meat industry, which has an annual turnover of nearly €22.2 billion – accounting for over 21.6% of the country's food-producing sector and 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The WHO has placed hamburgers, sausages – including hot dogs – and bacon in the top group for cancer risk, along with smoking, saying it is a prime cause of colon or bowel cancer.

This is the most frequent form of tumour seen in Spain, ahead of lung and breast cancer, and responsible for the second-highest number of cancer deaths in the country.

The WHO has placed red meat in general in the second group, which is not as high-risk as burgers and sausages.

Spain as a whole has an 'acceptable' level of red meat consumption, according to WHO figures, at 485.7 grams a week – below the recommended maximum of 500 grams.

But residents overdo the processed meat, eating 314 grams a week when the WHO recommends 'little or none'.

And when including poultry, people in Spain typically eat 1,147 grams of meat a week – over a kilo, or nearly two-and-a-half pounds.

The average Spaniard eats 164 grams of meat a day, of which 70 grams is red meat such as beef, with 45 grams being processed meat – enough, says the WHO, to explain why colon cancer is the most common form of the disease seen in Spain.

Whilst European meat producers complain the WHO's announcement is 'inappropriate' and that the incidence of cancer depends upon 'age, genetics, diet, environment and lifestyle' rather than 'one specific type of food', spokesman for the Spanish Medical Oncology Society Dr Fernando Rivera says the reports are 'alarmist' and 'crucify certain foodstuffs' when in reality 'what is important is a balanced diet'.

“The study is only a guideline, and is very closely-linked to excessive consumption of processed meat – but the influence of these food items on colon and bowel cancer is not as high as, say, smoking, which multiplies lung cancer risk by 30,” Dr Rivera stresses.

Meat producers in Spain say that in less than 25 years, when it did not sell any of its wares abroad, it has become the main food industry exporter in the country and a 'leader' worldwide.

Spain exported 1.17 million tonnes of meat last year, valued at nearly €4.5bn, with two-thirds of its foreign sales going to other European Union countries.

The WHO has recommended no more than half a kilo of red meat per week, 'little or no' bacon, ham, sausages or other non-fresh meat, and not to eat meat at all more than twice a week.

Dr Rivera, although he says there is nothing wrong with moderate meat consumption within a balanced diet, points out that the rise in colon cancer cases in Spain, Greece and Italy in the last few years has been 'significant' because of 'a progressive abandoning of the Mediterranean diet'.

Spain is 18^th in the world for bowel and colon cancer, with just under 44 cases per 100,000 male inhabitants and just over 24 per 100,000 female inhabitants.

The worst record is seen in the Republic of Korea, and ahead of Spain are Slovakia, Hungary, Denmark, The Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Norway, Australia, Slovenia, New Zealand, Belgium, Israel, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, and Singapore at number 17.

Serbia at 19, followed by Japan, make up the top 20.

Spain's health service carries out automatic colon cancer screening for everyone aged from 50 to 69 – in some cases from 45 to 70 – contacting every individual registered on the census within that age group with instructions.

The screening is totally painless and non-invasive, and just involves discreetly handing in a stool sample in a supplied container to a local health centre at the tested person's convenience.

Only if blood or other abnormalities are detected will the person be called for a colonoscopy, which can be carried out under sedation upon request.