Eating Red Meat May Boost Death Risk

Meat Intakes: High vs. Low continued...

Those who ate the most red meat as well as the most processed meat had a higher overall risk of dying during the study period as well as a higher risk of dying from cancer and heart disease compared to those who ate the least of both.

For instance, men in the group with the highest intake of red meat had a 31% higher overall risk of dying during the study period than did those in the lowest intake red meat group.  And women with the highest intake of red meat had a 50% higher risk of dying due to heart disease. Or put another way, Sinha says that 11% of all deaths in men and 16% of deaths in women could have been prevented if participants cut their red meat consumption to that eaten by the lowest intake group. Heart disease deaths could have been decreased by 11% in men and 21% in women by limiting red meat intake to the amount eaten by the lowest intake group.

For processed meat, the highest intakes were associated with a 16% overall increased risk of dying in men and 25% increased risk in women. 

Cancer risk was about 20% higher in those who ate the most red meat, and 10% higher in those who ate the most processed meats.

In contrast, the intake of white meat was often protective, with those eating the most having a slightly lower risk for overall and cancer deaths.

Exactly why red meat and processed meat are associated with increased risks of cancer, heart disease and other deaths isn't known for sure, Sinha says. But the leading explanations, she says, include:

• The meats are a source of carcinogens formed during cooking.
• The iron in red meat may increase oxidative cell damage, leading to health problems.
• The saturated fat found in meat has been linked with breast and colorectal cancer.

Industry Perspective

On its web site, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association notes that beef offers protein and other essential nutrients.

It offers information on lean cuts of beef to reduce the amount of saturated fat eaten.

In a statement, Shalene McNeill, PhD, RD, executive director of human nutrition research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says: “As is often the case with epidemiological research on this subject, it is hard to draw substantial conclusions about any one food.” She said the study was complicated by the fact that participants had unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and lack of exercise.

There is a place in the diet for lean meats, she says.

Advice on Meat in the Diet

Sinha tells WebMD that she cannot make recommendations based on the study but says that the results complement the advice of such organizations as the American Institute for Cancer Research.

To reduce cancer risk, the web site of the American Institute for Cancer Research recommends eating no more than 18 ounces of red meat (cooked weight) per week (or about 2.5 ounces a day.) It recommends avoiding processed meat, noting that research suggests that cancer risk starts to increase with any amount.

Popkin agrees that processed meats are worse than red meats from a health point of view. He says the new study results suggest consumers can reduce their risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, or other problems by curtailing their intake of red and processed meats.

But he's not saying it's crucial to give up meat entirely. "I think what this is saying is, 'You don't have to be a vegan. You don't have to be a vegetarian.' But you really need to cut out the sausage and the pepperoni and the baloney, all those processed meats, or have them very little. You also need to be careful and cut down your red meat intake. Have it [only] a couple times a week."