Eating Red Meat Damages Health

U.S. Study Advises Cutting Back on Beef and Pork Consumption

Mar 24, 2009 Rupert Taylor

Daily consumption of 160g of red meat (equivalent to a six-ounce steak) raises the risk of early death.

A large study of Americans has found a close link between eating a lot of red or processed meat and a shorter life span.

Researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute followed 545,000 people, between the ages of 50 and 71, for ten years. According to a BBC News report on March 24, 2009, the researchers “calculated that 11% of deaths in men and 16% of deaths in women during the study period could have been prevented if people had decreased their red meat consumption to the level of those in the lowest intake group.”

The low consumption level for red meat was 25g a day – that’s about the same as a small rasher of bacon.

Red Meat Shown to Cause Cancer

The results of the study were published in the March 23, 2009 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine. Lead author Rashmi Sinha advises people to cut back on hamburger and processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and cold cuts.

Substituting red meat with white meat seems to be a good option. Study subjects who ate the highest amount of chicken, turkey, and other white meats had “a lower risk of fatal cancer or heart disease than those who ate the lowest proportion” according to the BBC.

Carcinogenic Compounds

The cause of the health risks are traced to cancer-causing compounds that are created during the high-temperature cooking of red meat. Beef, pork, and lamb also contain saturated fat, and this has been linked to colorectal and breast cancer in other studies; it is also a major factor in high cholesterol levels and heart disease.

Dr. Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, has commented on the study: “The need is for a major reduction in total meat intake, an even larger reduction in processed meat and other highly processed and salted animal source food products and a reduction in total saturated fat.”

More than Just Health Benefits

Dr. Popkin stresses that a reduction in red meat consumption is also good for the planet. Livestock are a source of greenhouse gases and therefore add to the global warming problem. He says that government subsidies to meat production keep prices down and add to the problem.

In addition to increasing white meat consumption there should also be a higher level of fruits and vegetables in most peoples’ diets. This is the advice of Elisabetta Politi of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C. She told the Associated Press “I’m not saying everybody should turn into vegetarians. Meat should be a supporting actor on the plate, not the main character.”

The Canadian Cancer Society says that adults should try to limit their weekly intake of red meat to 500g (18 ounces). The Society also says that a portion size should be about 85g (three ounces); that’s slightly smaller than a deck of cards.

The copyright of the article Eating Red Meat Damages Health in Nutrition is owned by Rupert Taylor. Permission to republish Eating Red Meat Damages Health in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Enough for Five or Six Meals?