Several of the arguments against consumption of meat, especially red meat and
processed meats, involve the question of detrimental effects to human health. Several of these (including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) are briefly touched on in the discussion of the nutritional value of meat in Chapter 20. The current chapter provides an in-depth and objective examination of the current balance of evidence concerning the relation between meat consumption and
specifically colorectal cancer, including hypothetical, but currently unverified,
mechanisms.