Red Meat Increases Odds of Early Death
Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to a federal study. New evidence suggests that a diet that regularly includes steaks, burgers, and pork chops is hazardous to health. The study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans bolsters prior evidence of the health risks of diets laden with red meat such as hamburger, processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, and cold cuts.
In contrast, the study found that routine consumption of fish, chicken, turkey and other poultry decreased the risk of death by a small amount.
Previous research had found a link between red meat and increased risk of heart disease and cancer (particularly colorectal cancer), but the new study - published in February 2009 by the National Cancer Institute in the Archives of Internal Medicine - is the first large examination of the relationship between eating meat and mortality.
Researchers analyzed data collected from 545,653 volunteers aged 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 participating in the study had died. The researchers found that those who consumed the most red meat - about a quarter pound a day - gave men in the study a 22% higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27% higher risk of dying of heart disease. Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20% higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50% higher risk of dyting of heart disease. For processed meats, the increased risks for large quantities were slightly lower overall than for red meat.
