Whose Side is Cancer Research UK on?

Because they do not specify 'vegan barbecue', I assume Cancer Research UK is expecting participants of their fundraising drive to use the usual barbecue fayre: beef burgers, steaks, sausages...AKA red meat.

Umm, are you sure you've thought this through properly?

There is weighty evidence that links red meat consumption with several cancers, most notable colon, bowel and, some assert, breast.

And the high level of saturated fat in red meat is, of course, linked to cardiovascular disease and good old obesity. Obesity, in of itself, puts us at higher risk of cancer...something Cancer Research UK mentions on its own website.  

Unfortunately, very few health organizations or charities (even ones that acknowledge the negative health effects), will say that meat, and specifically red meat, should be off the menu - 'cause that would just be too drastic, wouldn't it?

Instead, they'll pussyfoot around the issue, and say that it's acceptable as part of a 'balanced diet', which, I suppose, is a euphemism for, "A little of what you fancy won't do you any harm".

But, of course, a little of what you fancy can indeed do immense harm.

For instance, no medical professional worth his or her salt would say, "Well, smoking is OK, now and then, as long as you're being sensible about it and keeping otherwise healthy."

So, why are people so reluctant to talk openly about the foods that have the potential to kill us? Because there's no hyperbole to that sentence, there are good reasons that cancers and heart disease are becoming more and more prevalent, and in turn putting a strain on the health service.

Couldn't possibly have anything to do with the shift in our diet; the heavily processed meats; the antibiotic and hormone-filled animals that people are chowing down, could it?

Thankfully, though, there are people who are willing to go out on a limb and speak the 'unspeakable'.

There is one other thing that Cancer Research UK's fundraising barbecue flies in the face of, and that's the evidence that barbecuing/grilling food is a major cancer risk, too.

How does barbecue put you at greater risk? Well, the amino acids in meat react with creatine, when cooked at high temperatures, creating heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are believed to promote cancer. 

When barbecuing, as well as the risk of cooking at high heat, there are other carcinogens to worry about. Like all the dioxins in the smoke and flare ups from dripping fat.

Robin des Bois, a French environmental campaign group, found that an average two-hour barbecue produces dioxins equivalent to around 220,000 cigarettes. That's a lot of smoking.

So, would Cancer Research UK consider that a good fundraising idea...a smoke-a-thon?

Here's the thing, I don't expect Cancer Research UK to tell people not to have barbecues. I can even understand why they choose to shy away from being too vocal about the potential dangers of consuming meat - it would enrage many.

However, promoting something that could well be a significant player in the cause of cancer while on the quest to beat cancer is baffling at best.

And, I'm left wondering, whose side is Cancer Research UK really on?