Fepruary 1, 2005

THE CADRE © 5

Culturama 2005

Susan Fitzpatrick Contributor

From left to right are Susan Fitzpatrick, Jennifer Ballou,

and Anastasia Zakharova.

Don’t miss Culturama 2005 on Friday, February 11th at the Basilica Recreation Centre in Charlottetown. A joint effort by five non-governmental organizations, Culturama is a celebration of the diversity on Prince Edward Island and an opportunity for local NGOs to feature their work.

Canada World Youth, CUSO, OXFAM, PEI Association of Newcomers to Canada, and WUSC have joined together for an evening of ethnic food, culturally diverse entertainment, world music, and information tables with crafts from around the world for sale.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. with food sales from an assortment of vendors from around the world, many of whom you may see at the local Farmer’s Market. Following a meal (at approximately 8 p.m.) there will be some amazing entertainment. This year performers will include Ruth Mathiang (a fellow UPEI student) and friends,

Sandi MacKinnon, _ special performances by Canada World Youth participants Russia, as well as other culturally diverse contributions. A licensed adult dance will be held at 10 pm featuring world music, dancing, and salsa lessons.

This is the fourth year that

Culturama has been held in

Charlottetown. Similar Culturama celebrations are also being held in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door and may be purchased at Timothy’s World Coffee, The Root Cellar, The Book Emporium, the UPEI Bookstore, the Volunteer Resource Centre, or from anyone on the organizing committee. —

This will be an amazing event and it’s an opportunity to experience some of the different cultures that we have right here on PEI. _

Man-Sum Yau Production Manager

A new study on the role of diet in cancer prevention sheds light on the link between red meat and the third

| most common type of cancer in North

America.

Affecting both men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, colorectal cancer is diagnosed in approximately 16,000 Canadians each year according to the Colorectal Cancer Society of Canada. The risk of getting colorectal cancer, which includes cancers that occur in the different regions of the large intestine, is higher in individuals who have a family history in colorectal cancer and colon- related diseases.

The new study, which is considered to the most comprehensive so far, along with other older studies report that consuming a high amount of red meat also increases the risk. A hundred and fifty thousand people were involved in this study between 1982 and 1992. After dividing the people into three groups based on the amount of red meat they consumed, Dr. Michael J. Thun of the American Cancer Society and his team kept track of the number of people who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer by 2001. Of the three groups, the incidence of colorectal cancer was highest in the group that consumed the most red meat. They reportedly had a 40% higher risk compared to a 20-30% lower risk in the group that ate the most white meat, even before other risk factors were taken into account.

It is important to point out that the results of this study show a correlation or association between red meat and colorectal cancer, not a cause-

| and-effect relationship. Also, scientists

are still not sure why or how it increases

Another Reason to Avoid Eating Too Much Red Meat

the risk. One theory is that cooking red meat at high temperatures creates toxins or mutagens. In another theory, the culprit is iron, which is found in high concentrations in red meat.

No matter what the reasons may be, the results do not suggest that one should eliminate consumption of red or processed meat,” as Thun said, but rather to limit red meat consumption and to have a balanced diet. Balance is the key.

For more information on the link between red meat and colorectal cancer, Visit:

Www.cCCac-accc.ca _www.nature.com www.cancerfacts.com.