More critics challenge study linking meat and cancer

 Reuters news agency is carrying a new story that raises more criticisms of a report that links meat to cancer.

It says the process that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) uses to classify substances by their likelihood of causing cancer is flawed.

Last fall, IARC issued a ruling that placed processed meat in the category of “carcinogen” and red meat in the category of “probable carcinogen.” 

That sparked sensational headlines, such as “Meat is the new tobacco” and prompted the World Health Organization, (IARC’s boss) to issue a statement to “clarify” the findings.

Now Reuters is questioning whether the scientists placed on IARC’s review panels are too often biased before the discussion begins. 

The protocol for evaluating red and processed meat is put forth as a prominent example of how IARC’s system may unfairly categorize substances.

Reuters quotes observers, scientists and officials of IARC, WHO and other public health agencies both criticizing and defending the agency’s processes.

The full Reuters report is at http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-who-iarc/?utm_source=twitter/ .