According to a recent study, published in the journal BMJ, heavy red meat consumption, particularly processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk of death. The researchers from Harvard University observed the link between changes in red meat consumption over an eight-year period with mortality rate during the next eight years, starting from 1986 to the end of follow-up in 2010. The study showed that swapping red meat with eggs, fish, vegetables and whole grains, over time may help you live longer.The researchers of the study used data for 53,553 US registered female nurses, aged between 30 and 55, and 27,916 male health professionals in the US, aged between 40 and 75. At the start of the study, all the participants were free of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The participants were given a food frequency questionnaire after every four years. In the questionnaire, they were asked how often, on an average, they ate each food of standard portion size in the past year. On the basis of changes in their red meat consumption, they were then divided into five categories.During the study period, the total number of deaths from any cause reached 14,019 (8,426 women and 5,593 men) and the leading causes were cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and neurodegenerative disease.As per the findings of the study, increasing total red meat intake by 3.5 servings a week or more over an eight-year period was associated with 10 per cent higher risk of death in the next eight years, after adjusting for age and other potentially influential factors.A study linking red meat and mortality lit up the media in more ways than one. Hundreds of media outlets carried reports about the study. Headline writers had a field day, with entries like “Red meat death study,” “Will red meat kill you?” and “Singing the blues about red meat.”The warning from the study, done by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, sounded ominous. Every extra daily serving of unprocessed red meat (steak, hamburger, pork, etc.) increased the risk of dying prematurely by 13%. Processed red meat (hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and the like) upped the risk by 20%. The results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.The study included more than 121,000 men and women followed for an average of 24 years. All submitted information about their diets every four years. Over the course of the study, almost 24,000 of the participants died. Death rates among those who ate the most red meat were higher than among those who ate the least.Because this was the largest, longest study to date on the connection between eating red meat and survival, the findings are worth paying attention to. But they aren’t the last word on the topic, and the numbers need to be put into perspective.A month ago, a Japanese study of more than 51,000 men and women followed for 16 years found no connection between moderate meat consumption (up to three ounces a day) and premature death. Last year, a study by different researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found no connection between eating unprocessed red meat and the development of heart disease and diabetes, though there was a strong connection with eating processed red meat.Red meat is the meat of mammals, which is normally red when raw.It’s one of the most controversial foods in the history of nutrition.Although humans have been eating it throughout evolution, many people believe it can cause harm.Below is a review of the evidence on the health effects of red meat. The article does not tackle ethical and environmental issues. Today’s Meat Isn’t What It Used to BePeople have been eating meat throughout evolution and have digestive systems well equipped to handle it.Traditional populations like the Masai have eaten much more red meat than the average Westerner but remained in excellent health (1).However, the meat consumed today is different than the meat people ate in the past. Back in the day, animals roamed free and ate grass, insects or other foods natural to them.Picture a wild cow on a field 10,000 years ago, roaming free and chewing on grass and various other edible plants.The meat from this animal is different than the meat derived from a cow that was born and raised in a factory, fed grain-based feed and given growth-promoting hormones and antibiotics.
