Science "Totality" Finds no Link

Previous studies have positively associated certain kinds of cancers, including colo-rectal cancer, to to the consumption of red and processed meats. However, Exponent (funded by the beef/pork checkoff funds) claims that, due to a better understanding of cancer development and data from hundreds of study, there is a lack of "a clear scientific consensus regarding meat consumption and cancer..."

More specifically, upon examining prior studies, the Exponent team found that most associations between meat and cancer are weak in magnitude and not statistically significant. Furthermore, the report claims that many associations are null and inverse, and the definitions of red meat and processed meat vary across all studies, as well as the measures of intake and analytical comparisons. Finally, Exponent claims that confounding factors from lifestyle to screening may affect associations.