The Dangerous Red Meat Health Connection
In the largest study of its kind (with over half a million subjects), it was found that mature people in the US Americans who eat large amounts of red meat like beef, pork and lamb, and processed meats like hot dogs and bacon were discovered to have a higher risk of death from cancer or heart disease.
This study supports the long-standing advice of other experts to limit both these kinds of meats, and appears in the March 23, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine.
545,000 subjects were included in the study, aged 50 to 71 years old, recruited from AARP members as part of the National Institutes of Health Diet and Health Study, and asked about their dietary habits.
The results did rely on subjects remembering what they ate, and this isn't always accurate. Also, the pool of subjects was drawn from a group thought to be healthier than other Americans, which means the findings might not apply to everyone, but they are certainly representative.
Over 70,000 of the participants died during the decade long study, and the researchers made adjustments in the study results to account for other risk factors like smoking, high BMI (body mass index) and family history of cancer in their analysis.
The findings however, even when taking these aspects into account, paint a damning picture for red and processed meat.
The equivalent of eating a quarter pound hamburger daily gave a 22% higher risk of dying from cancer; 27% higher risk of dying from heart disease when compared to subjects who ate just 5 ounces of meat a week.
Women who ate a proportionately higher amount of red and processed meat had a 20% higher risk of dying of cancer; 50% greater potential of dying of heart disease than women who ate less of this type of meat.
This consumption level might seem pretty high. In 2003-2004, the most recent year's statistics are available, on average adults ate 2.5 ounces of red meat each day.
"The consumption of red meat was associated with a modest increase in total mortality," said Rashmi Sinha, lead author of the study.
Processed meats carried slightly lower overall risks than red meat according to the research.
Alsopeople whose diets had more white meat (chicken and fish) were found to have lower risks of death.
"This fits together with the findings of the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Society, which recommend limiting the consumption of red meat," added Sinha, who's a senior investigator with the nutrition epidemiological branch at the Cancer Institute.
So, just why are red meats in excess so bad for our bodies?
Unfortunately, no one has pinned down the answer to that question quite yet.
Some experts suggest the trouble might come from the fat and iron in the meats, others the salt, nitrates/nitrites of processed meats.
Not only that, when meat is cooked (especially fried or charbroiled) at high temperatures substances are created that can be mutagenic or even carcinogenic. In other words - trouble.
Another argument for reducing the amount of red meat consumed?
Also, conservationists will point to the issue with livestock contributing to greenhouse gas emissions that have been implicated in global warming.
Barry Popkin, who wrote an accompanying editorial to the study, suggests, "We've promoted a diet that has added excessively to global warming."
Most suggest that meat should not be eliminated from your diet, but become a supporting part of meals along with other healthy options.
Fish, poultry or beans are an alternative source of protein in the diet. Leaner cuts of meat can also be part of a healthy diet, and according to the American Meat Institute are an excellent source of iron, B12 and zinc, as well as other essential vitamins and minerals.
So, especially if you already at risk of heart disease and cancer, don't let the link between red meat and health be your downfall. - 17268
This study supports the long-standing advice of other experts to limit both these kinds of meats, and appears in the March 23, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine.
545,000 subjects were included in the study, aged 50 to 71 years old, recruited from AARP members as part of the National Institutes of Health Diet and Health Study, and asked about their dietary habits.
The results did rely on subjects remembering what they ate, and this isn't always accurate. Also, the pool of subjects was drawn from a group thought to be healthier than other Americans, which means the findings might not apply to everyone, but they are certainly representative.
Over 70,000 of the participants died during the decade long study, and the researchers made adjustments in the study results to account for other risk factors like smoking, high BMI (body mass index) and family history of cancer in their analysis.
The findings however, even when taking these aspects into account, paint a damning picture for red and processed meat.
The equivalent of eating a quarter pound hamburger daily gave a 22% higher risk of dying from cancer; 27% higher risk of dying from heart disease when compared to subjects who ate just 5 ounces of meat a week.
Women who ate a proportionately higher amount of red and processed meat had a 20% higher risk of dying of cancer; 50% greater potential of dying of heart disease than women who ate less of this type of meat.
This consumption level might seem pretty high. In 2003-2004, the most recent year's statistics are available, on average adults ate 2.5 ounces of red meat each day.
"The consumption of red meat was associated with a modest increase in total mortality," said Rashmi Sinha, lead author of the study.
Processed meats carried slightly lower overall risks than red meat according to the research.
Alsopeople whose diets had more white meat (chicken and fish) were found to have lower risks of death.
"This fits together with the findings of the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Society, which recommend limiting the consumption of red meat," added Sinha, who's a senior investigator with the nutrition epidemiological branch at the Cancer Institute.
So, just why are red meats in excess so bad for our bodies?
Unfortunately, no one has pinned down the answer to that question quite yet.
Some experts suggest the trouble might come from the fat and iron in the meats, others the salt, nitrates/nitrites of processed meats.
Not only that, when meat is cooked (especially fried or charbroiled) at high temperatures substances are created that can be mutagenic or even carcinogenic. In other words - trouble.
Another argument for reducing the amount of red meat consumed?
Also, conservationists will point to the issue with livestock contributing to greenhouse gas emissions that have been implicated in global warming.
Barry Popkin, who wrote an accompanying editorial to the study, suggests, "We've promoted a diet that has added excessively to global warming."
Most suggest that meat should not be eliminated from your diet, but become a supporting part of meals along with other healthy options.
Fish, poultry or beans are an alternative source of protein in the diet. Leaner cuts of meat can also be part of a healthy diet, and according to the American Meat Institute are an excellent source of iron, B12 and zinc, as well as other essential vitamins and minerals.
So, especially if you already at risk of heart disease and cancer, don't let the link between red meat and health be your downfall. - 17268
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