Is eating red meat bad? Here are the facts
Is eating red meat bad? Here are the facts
You’ve heard it both ways, right?
As recently as April of 2019 an online article from CNN issued this headline:
Just six months later, this article from WebMD shows up on the search engines:
So, which one is right? Well … they both are. It’s all a matter of semantics.
Leave it to seasoned epidemiologists to use smoke and mirrors rather than science to prove a point. And that exactly what Walter Willett and a collection of other researchers at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health did with this one.
It all hangs on the definition of “red meat”. You see, there’s a growing body of evidence that indicates that when you inject toxins into meat in the form of preservatives, that there’s a higher risk of cancer and, of course, dying sooner than you would if you didn’t consume that type of meat. Foods with these types of preservatives are referred to as processed meat. They include most cold cuts, bacon, hot dog wieners and sausages.
Now, if you were a slick epidemiologist with an agenda of promoting vegan and plant-based diets, and had invested years talking down beef and other forms of red meat, you’d probably attempt to throw in a bunch known carcinogens like processed meat into your definition of red meat (which it technically is) to make all the non-processed meats look bad. And, of course, that exactly what that study that supposedly linked red meat with a higher mortality risk did. It would have been easy enough for Willett and those researchers to show us the results for meat that wasn’t processed, but those results are nowhere mentioned.
You’re probably saying that surely there’s some research that shows whether there’s a risk of dying sooner from eating red meat that isn’t processed. And you’d be right. There is. In fact, at least ten meta-analyses or systematic reviews authored by XX researchers from X countries, published since 2011, have found that when you strip out the processed meat there is no significant association between consumption of unprocessed red meat and earlier death or disease, contrary to the headline the first article.
The consensus of the contemporary epidemiological research on the topic fails to support that there is any health risk associated with the consumption of unprocessed red meat.
What’s the message on red meat in general?
Based on the current state of epidemiological research there is inadequate reliable evidence to support the proposition that Americans should limit their consumption of unprocessed red meat. That said, there is evidence that reducing the ratio of red meat to other types of meat, especially fish that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, may decrease the risk of contracting major disease and might lengthen lifespan. Diversity in protein and fat consumption may be more important than reducing or increasing the amount of consumption.
Is consumption of processed red meat a potential health risk?
Although the evidence is by no means conclusive there is sufficient evidence to conclude that consuming processed meats that include additives and preservatives, such as nitrites or nitrates, pose a potential health risk. As always, consuming organic, grass fed beef and responsibly produced pork will promote optimal health.
Tips for making red meat a healthy part of your diet
As with most foods and nutrients, consumption in moderation is key. The proper balance between consumption of red meats and other foods results in optimal health. And the way meat is cooked can also affect the impact of meat on a healthy diet. Check out our article on Tips for making red meat a healthy part of your diet.
