Increased mortality from red meat

Red meat increases the risk of death

13.03.2012

The consumption of red meat has been linked to significant health risks, such as pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer or diabetes, in numerous previous studies. Now US researchers have for the first time investigated the effects of eating red meat on general mortality.

The researchers around Dr. Pan and Frank Hu from the Department of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health report in the journal's online edition „Archives of International Medicine“, Their study comes to the clear conclusion that the mortality is significantly increased by the daily consumption of red meat. Therefore, a substitution of red meat by other healthier protein sources is recommended.

Cardiovascular diseases and red meat cancer
As red meat are generally referred to all types of meat, which have a clear red color in the raw state. These are, for example, beef, pork, goat or lamb. Consumption is relatively widespread in modern industrial nations, although it was already known from previous studies that this can be associated with a not insignificant health risk. Because with regular consumption, the risk of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer is shown to be significantly higher. The US scientists have now evaluated the data from 37 698 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2008) and 83 644 women from the Nurses Health Study (1980-2008). All study participants were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline. Every four years, questionnaires were used to record the subjects' diet.

Mortality significantly increased with daily consumption of red meat
In the study period, 23,926 study participants had died, 5,910 as a result of cardiovascular diseases and 9,464 due to cancer, reports Frank Hu and colleagues. According to the scientists, the mortality was also clearly related to the consumption of red meat. By just under 13 percent, the mortality of daily consumption of unprocessed red meat increased, even by as much as 20 percent with daily consumption of processed products such as salami, ham or other sausage products, the US researchers explained by the substitutions of one serving of red meat per day Other foods (including fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy and whole-grain products) would reduce mortality by seven to nineteen percent, according to Frank Hu and colleagues. Nuts as substitutes for a portion of red meat show here with a reduction of the mortality by 19 per cent the clearest effect, but also wholegrain and poultry would bring a 14 per cent reduced mortality, explained the US researchers. For fish as a replacement, the mortality would still be seven percent lower than the daily consumption of red meat, write Hu and colleagues.

Reduce consumption of red meat
Related to the deaths in the course of the present studies, the US scientists said that 9.3 percent of deaths in males and 7.6 percent in females could have been prevented if all participants reduced their intake of red meat to less than 0.5 Reduced portions (about 42 grams) a day. This illustrates, according to Hu and colleagues, which far-reaching effects could be achieved with smaller changes in diet. According to the US scientists, there are also immense savings opportunities for the entire healthcare system. Because cancers and cardiovascular diseases are a major cost factor in healthcare. Although not all of these diseases are due to the consumption of red meat, but the share should not be insignificant according to experts, as red meat enjoys a consistently high popularity in Germany. According to information from the German Butcher Association, every German ate almost 40 kilograms of pork and more than eight kilos of beef and veal in 2011. A reduction in meat consumption seems urgent. If the benchmark of less than 42 grams per day is used by the US researchers, the per capita consumption of red meat in Germany should not exceed the limit of 15 kilograms. (Fp)

Also read:
Meat favors pancreatic cancer
Red meat increases the risk of diabetes
On the first of October is the World Vegetarian Day
Vegetarians live longer?
Vegans live healthy with risks

Image: Dieter Schütz