COLORECTAL cancer is a deadly disease that's on the rise - and evidence indicates that it's caused by consuming beef, chicken, eggs, milk, and other animal foods. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second-largest cause of cancer death in the US alone.

About 98,200 cases of colorectal cancer have been diagnosed in 2001, and colorectal cancer has been responsible for approximately 48,000 deaths in the US alone in previous years.

The greatest incidence of colorectal cancer occurs primarily in the developed world where the consumption of all meats, eggs, and dairy products is high. Numerous studies have linked these types of food to the development of colorectal cancer. The following sample of studies shows the correlation:

1) The American Cancer Society (ACS), discussing all cancers, points out that "about one-third of the 500,000 cancer deaths that occur in the United States alone each year is due to dietary factors. The ACS takes such a strong stand because numerous studies over many years link all meat, eggs and dairy products to the development of a variety of cancers. The ACS also states that, "a diet mostly from animal sources" is a risk factor for colorectal cancer. As a result, the ACS "recommends that people should choose foods from plant sources and limit their intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources." Numerous studies have linked the consumption of meat to the development of cancer. Scientists suspect that the estrogen from zeranol and other growth hormones fed to cattle and other factory-farmed animals may stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells.

2) The average American faces a six percent lifetime risk of colon cancer, according to the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention. In 1990, a population research and studies conducted by the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health found a clear association between animal fat intake and colon cancer rates. "Animal fat was positively associated with the risk of colon cancer..." The authors also reported that in another large-scale clinical study, the Nurse's Health Study of 121,700 female registered nurses, 30 to 55 years of age found that, women who consumed beef, lamb, or pork as a main dish at least once a day were 2.5 times (250%) more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer than women who consumed meat as a main dish less than once a month.

3) Doctors at Yale University found that a high intake of fat, animal protein, and cholesterol - found only in animal products - were associated with a higher risk of stomach and esophageal cancer. According to Dr Susan T Mayne of Yale's Division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, "prevention strategies for these cancers should emphasize increased consumption of foods that are plant based, decreased consumption of foods of animal origin..."

4) Again, in a 1990 survey, and in a 1991 follow-up published in the International Journal of Cancer found that there were increased risks for colorectal cancer associated with the consumption of all meat, dairy products, and eggs. The same with the 1990 survey and 1991 follow-up study in the Spanish Island of Majorca found that consumption of chicken, red meat, dairy and eggs increased the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

5) Another 1991 Swedish study indicated an association between meat consumption and colorectal cancer, and a 1992 study in northeast Italy found that "frequent consumption of refined starchy foods, eggs and fat-rich foods such as cheese and red meat is a risk factor for colorectal cancer." All studies were published in the International Journal of Cancer.

6) A review of population studies published in 1996 in the prestigious Italian medical journal Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanita found that meat and other animal fats are among the most consistent risk factors for colorectal cancer and that a vegan/vegetarian diet reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.

7) Researchers at the Center for Health Research at Loma Linda University reported in The American Journal of Epidemiology in 1998 that colorectal cancer has "a positive association with... both red meat intake and white meat intake."

8) A 1999 study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, concluded that the low prevalence of colorectal cancer among black Africans is related to the absence of animal protein and fat in their diet.

9) A Swedish study published in the International Journal of Cancer states that "results also indicate that there is an association between meat consumption and colorectal cancer."

10) The recent study by the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) chillingly confirms what previous smaller studies have shown for years: Consumption of animal products is likely to cause colorectal cancer! The massive EPIC study is the biggest ever into diet and cancer. It involved 406,323 people from nine countries over a period of 15 years. The results of the study were presented recently in Lyon, France, at the European Conference on Nutrition and Cancer. Colorectal cancer has become one of the world's top killers. The study cited preserved meats, such as cured ham, hot dogs, bacon and salami as a major culprits for colorectal cancer, and indicated that red meat was also a high risk factor. People who consumed preserved meats were found to have a 50 percent greater chance of developing colorectal cancer than those who ate no preserved meats. Red meat produced the same harmful bacteria in the colon as is found in tobacco. In fact, the participants in the EPIC study who ate the most fiber reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 40 percent. All meat, eggs and dairy products have absolutely no fiber at all, and even lean meats and "low fat" dairy products are packed with fat and cholesterol, relative to fruits, vegetables, and grains.

11) Discussing colorectal cancer specifically, the National Cancer Institute upon examination of the body of evidence, says that "colorectal cancer seems to be associated with diets that are high in fat and calories and low in fiber" and that "eating vegetables and fruits is associated with a decreased risk of cancers of the ... colon [and] rectum ..." Remember that all meat, eggs and dairy products have absolutely no fiber at all, and even lean meats and "low fat" dairy products are packed with fat and cholesterol, relative to fruits, vegetables, and grains.

12) Upon reviewing an array of studies discussing the link between diet and colorectal cancer, scientists from the Bremen Institute for Prevention, Research, and Social Medicine and the German Cancer Research Center stated in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that "the relationship between a vegetarian and fiber-rich diet and a decreased risk for colorectal cancer has been reported in many studies."

So, before you bite into that next burger, nugget, sliced pepperoni pizza, and/or other meaty foods, including milk and eggs, consider this: Do you really want to spend your final days, or witness the final days of a loved one suffering from the pain and agony of colon, rectal, or some other lethal cancer? If not, grab a vegan/vegetarian cookbook and learn to live while letting others live also with the help of great, tasty, and healthful recipes that you will love much more than that greasy box of nuggets and that slimy shake. Bon appetit!

NICK JOSH K KAREAN is pro tem president of the Humane Society (Malaysia).