Red meat increases death, cancer and heart risk

[Andrew]

Red meat increases death, cancer and heart risk.

A diet high in red meat can shorten life expectancy, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School.



The study of more than 120,000 people suggested red meat increased the risk of death from cancer and heart problems.

Substituting red meat with fish, chicken or nuts lowered the risks, the authors said.

The British Heart Foundation said red meat could still be eaten as part of a balanced diet.

The researchers analysed data from 37,698 men between 1986 and 2008 and 83,644 women between 1980 and 2008.

They said adding an extra portion of unprocessed red meat to someone's daily diet would increase the risk of death by 13%, of fatal cardiovascular disease by 18% and of cancer mortality by 10%. The figures for processed meat were higher, 20% for overall mortality, 21% for death from heart problems and 16% for cancer mortality.

The study said: "We found that a higher intake of red meat was associated with a significantly elevated risk of total, cardiovascular disease, and cancer mortality.



"This association was observed for unprocessed and processed red meat with a relatively greater risk for processed red meat."

The researchers suggested that saturated fat from red meat may be behind the increased heart risk and the sodium used in processed meats may "increase cardiovascular disease risk through its effect on blood pressure".

Victoria Taylor, a dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Red meat can still be eaten as part of a balanced diet, but go for the leaner cuts and use healthier cooking methods such as grilling.

"If you eat processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages or burgers several times a week, add variation to your diet by substituting these for other protein sources such as fish, poultry, beans or lentils."

Source: BBC Health

[Simone]

The uprising of heart disease and cancer has taken an enormous increase and people don’t seem to realise the real cause of these problems, even if the answer is right there in front of their eyes. People have gotten so comfortable with what they’ve been told is good for their health and what they should eat, that they take everything for granted and fail to do the simplest of things, question and research. They blindly believe everything their doctor tells them, even if he’s never even touched the subject of nutrition at university! Mostly every doctor out there will tell you ‘red meat is rich in iron and vitamin B12’ but I have to really question this, can this be the only source of proteins and vitamins? Obviously no, and since red meat is responsible for so many diseases why should I continue consuming it?

The woman in the interview from Harvard University says that red meat should be minimized and replaced by fish, nuts, beans and chicken. Again this can be argued, but at least it’s a good start for a change in people’s diet. One has to research and question if what they put in their mouth is good for their health and not expect others to do the work for them. Ok some people will say that they don’t have the time to do this kind of research due to commitments with work and family, but this is your health and your family’s health and everyone should be responsible to look after themselves in the best way possible, after all isn’t our health important? And really, it’s not that difficult to be healthy and strong as long as we understand what needs to be done. So it all comes down to what we eat and to quote our ancient philosopher Hippocrates, ‘let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’.

[Helen]

What can I say after that great reply Simone!

It is absolutely true that people are simply too comfortable in their ways to do anything about improving their health and most importantly, their family's health. Yes, just do as your ignorant doctor tells you because he is simply following the industry's orders since he cares only about the benefits he will receive. Their is no desire to really improve people's health because it means they will no longer have a steady income from patients. "Only 1/4 of what you eat keeps you alive the other 3/4 keeps your doctor alive" Foodmatterstv.com

People must question everything and research for themselves if they really care!!!!!!