From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue Mar 24 2009 - 13:20:07 EST
*Daily Red Meat Raises Chances Of Dying Early
*Study Is First Large Analysis Of Link With Overall Health
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 24, 2009; A01
Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to the
first large study to examine whether regularly eating beef or pork increases
mortality.
The study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans found that
those who consumed about four ounces of red meat a day (the equivalent of
about a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die during
the 10 years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer.
Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats also increased the risk.
Previous research had found a link between red meat and an increased risk of
heart disease and cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, but the new study
is the first large examination of the relationship between eating meat and
overall risk of death, and is by far the most detailed.
"The bottom line is we found an association between red meat and processed
meat and an increased risk of mortality," said Rashmi Sinha of the National
Cancer Institute, who led the study published yesterday in the Archives of
Internal Medicine.
In contrast, routine consumption of fish, chicken, turkey and other poultry
decreased the risk of death by a small amount.
"The uniqueness of this study is its size and length of follow-up," said
Barry M. Popkin, a professor of global nutrition at the University of North
Carolina, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. "This is a
slam-dunk to say that, 'Yes, indeed, if people want to be healthy and live
longer, consume less red and processed meat.' "
There are many explanations for how red meat might be unhealthy: Cooking red
meat generates cancer-causing compounds; red meat is also high in saturated
fat, which has been associated with breast and colorectal cancer; and meat
is high in iron, also believed to promote cancer. People who eat red meat
are more likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol, which increases
the risk of heart disease. Processed meats contain substances known as
nitrosamines, which have been linked to cancer.
Although pork is often promoted as "white meat," it is believed to increase
the risk of cancer because of its iron content, Sinha said.
Regardless of the mechanism, the research provides new evidence that people
should follow long-standing recommendations to minimize consumption of red
meat, several experts said.
"The take-home message is pretty clear," said Walter Willett, a nutrition
expert at the Harvard School of Public Health. "It would be better to shift
from red meat to white meat such as chicken and fish, which if anything is
associated with lower mortality."
The American Meat Institute, a trade group, dismissed the findings, however,
saying they were based on unreliable self-reporting by the study
participants.
"Meat products are part of a healthy, balanced diet, and studies show they
actually provide a sense of satisfaction and fullness that can help with
weight control. Proper body weight contributes to good health overall,"
James H. Hodges, the group's executive vice president, said in a written
statement.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from 545,653 predominantly white
volunteers, ages 50 to 71, participating in the National Institutes of
Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. In 1995, the subjects filled out detailed
questionnaires about their diets, including meat consumption. Over the next
10 years, 47,976 men and 23,276 women died.
After accounting for other variables that might confound the findings, such
as smoking and physical activity, the researchers found that those who ate
the most red meat -- about a quarter-pound a day -- were more likely to die
of any reason, and from heart disease and cancer in particular, than those
who ate the least -- the equivalent of a couple of slices of ham a day.
Among women, those who ate the most red meat were 36 percent more likely to
die for any reason, 20 percent more likely to die of cancer and 50 percent
more likely to die of heart disease. Men who ate the most meat were 31
percent more likely to die for any reason, 22 percent more likely to die of
cancer and 27 percent more likely to die of heart disease.
In contrast, those who consumed the most white meat were about 8 percent
less likely to die during the study period than those who ate the least, the
researchers found. Poultry contains more unsaturated fat, which improves
cholesterol levels, and fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are
believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease.
The risk also rose among those who consumed the most processed meat, which
included any kind of sausage, cold cuts or hot dogs. Women who consumed the
most processed meat (about an ounce a day) were about 25 percent more likely
to die overall, about 11 percent more likely to die of cancer and about 38
percent more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those who ate the
least. The men who ate the most processed meat were 16 percent more likely
to die for any reason, about 12 percent more likely to die of cancer and
about 9 percent more likely to die of heart disease.
Experts stressed that the findings do not mean that people need to eliminate
red meat from their diet, but instead should avoid eating it every day.
"You can be very healthy being a vegetarian, but you can be very healthy
being a non-vegetarian if you keep your red-meat intake low," Willett said.
"If you are eating meat twice a day and can cut back to once a day there's a
big benefit. If you cut back to two or three times a week there's even more
benefit. If you eliminate it entirely, there's a little more benefit, but
the big benefit is getting away from everyday red-meat consumption."
In addition to the health benefits, a major reduction in the eating of red
meat would probably have a host of other benefits to society, Popkin said:
reducing water shortages and pollution, cutting energy consumption, and
tamping down greenhouse gas emissions -- all of which are associated with
large-scale livestock production.
"There's a big interplay between the global increase in animal food intake
and the effects on climate change," he said. "If we cut by a few ounces a
day our red-meat intake, we would have big impact on emissions and
environmental degradation."