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If you want to live for longer, you'll want to avoid having too much red meat (including processed meats) according to some new research. Instead, make healthier choices like chicken, fish, whole grains, nuts and other solid sources of protein suggest researchers who have concluded a new study.
The work found that the risks of dying early from either heart disease or cancer, or from any cause for that matter, go up as the amount of red meat you eat on a regular basis rises.
Using information that comes from two long standing projects (the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Nurses Health Study), the team examined the diets of over 120,000 middle-aged participants for as long as 28 years.
All participants were free of heart disease and cancer at the start of the study, and supplied information on their diets via food frequency questionnaires updated every four years. Almost 20% (23,923) of the study participants died during this period.
What the researchers found was that on average, each added portion of red meat a person ate each day was linked to a 13% higher chance of dying while the study was being conducted.
Processed meats - bacon, hot dogs, salami - were even more dangerous, with each added serving of these meats bringing a dramatic 20% increase in death risk.
The team also saw that those who consumed the highest volumes of red meat also were heavier, engaged in less activity and were more likely to display troubling behaviors like smoking cigarettes and drinking too much alcohol.
Based on the study findings, the team estimates that switching one portion of meat a day for fish, chicken, nuts, whole grains, legumes or low fat dairy would cut the chance of dying at mid-life by up to 19%.
If all the subjects had cut their red meat intake to under half a serving a day, the team estimates, 9% of deaths for men, along with 8% of deaths for women might have been avoided.
Red meat is known to be high in saturated fat as well as cholesterol - so everyone recognizes that it's not a good choice if you want to stay free of chronic disease. The new study is the first to look at the impact on lifespan on switching from meat to a healthier alternative. Beyond containing high levels of saturated fat, red meat charred at a high heat can leave cancer-causing agents on the surface of the meat for you to ingest. And it's thought that the additives in processed meats could promote cancer.
It's also important to understand that a diet with lots of meat is also likely to be deficient in other foods, fruits and veggies for instance. It may also be tough to tell if health problems from red meat come from the food itself or from other lifestyle factors that red meat eaters' share. And since red meat has such a bad reputation, those who avoid it may also be doing other things to benefit their future health that aren't being captured in a study setting.
Experts encourage you to avoid consuming too much red meat; cutting down to between 2 - 3 servings a week. They are not suggesting we give up meat entirely - although avoiding processed meats as a whole is a smart idea. Remember too that a more plant-based diet gives a double benefit - it reduces your exposure to harmful substances AND offers you natural sources of valuable nutrients your body needs.
The work found that the risks of dying early from either heart disease or cancer, or from any cause for that matter, go up as the amount of red meat you eat on a regular basis rises.
Using information that comes from two long standing projects (the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Nurses Health Study), the team examined the diets of over 120,000 middle-aged participants for as long as 28 years.
All participants were free of heart disease and cancer at the start of the study, and supplied information on their diets via food frequency questionnaires updated every four years. Almost 20% (23,923) of the study participants died during this period.
What the researchers found was that on average, each added portion of red meat a person ate each day was linked to a 13% higher chance of dying while the study was being conducted.
Processed meats - bacon, hot dogs, salami - were even more dangerous, with each added serving of these meats bringing a dramatic 20% increase in death risk.
The team also saw that those who consumed the highest volumes of red meat also were heavier, engaged in less activity and were more likely to display troubling behaviors like smoking cigarettes and drinking too much alcohol.
Based on the study findings, the team estimates that switching one portion of meat a day for fish, chicken, nuts, whole grains, legumes or low fat dairy would cut the chance of dying at mid-life by up to 19%.
If all the subjects had cut their red meat intake to under half a serving a day, the team estimates, 9% of deaths for men, along with 8% of deaths for women might have been avoided.
Red meat is known to be high in saturated fat as well as cholesterol - so everyone recognizes that it's not a good choice if you want to stay free of chronic disease. The new study is the first to look at the impact on lifespan on switching from meat to a healthier alternative. Beyond containing high levels of saturated fat, red meat charred at a high heat can leave cancer-causing agents on the surface of the meat for you to ingest. And it's thought that the additives in processed meats could promote cancer.
It's also important to understand that a diet with lots of meat is also likely to be deficient in other foods, fruits and veggies for instance. It may also be tough to tell if health problems from red meat come from the food itself or from other lifestyle factors that red meat eaters' share. And since red meat has such a bad reputation, those who avoid it may also be doing other things to benefit their future health that aren't being captured in a study setting.
Experts encourage you to avoid consuming too much red meat; cutting down to between 2 - 3 servings a week. They are not suggesting we give up meat entirely - although avoiding processed meats as a whole is a smart idea. Remember too that a more plant-based diet gives a double benefit - it reduces your exposure to harmful substances AND offers you natural sources of valuable nutrients your body needs.
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