Eating Less Red Meat and Processed Meat Reduces Risk for Serious Diseases
Did you know that decreasing red meat consumption can increase lifespan and decrease risk for diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers? American researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health did a detailed study which showed that how much red meat a person consumes is important in determining health outcomes and lifespan.1 A key finding the researchers state is, “We estimated that substitutions of 1 serving per day of other foods (including fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy, and whole grains) for 1 serving per day of red meat were associated with a 7% to 19% lower mortality risk.” This means that replacing one serving of red meat per day with other foods can help you to live longer. The researchers discovered this through studying the health outcomes over many years for over 120,000 people!
Red Meat Consumption is Clearly Associated with Greater Risk of Heart Disease and Cancer
In the studied population, people who ate more red meat were at greater risk of dying. The researchers state, “We found that greater consumption of unprocessed and processed red meats is associated with higher mortality risk.” The researchers explain, “Several mechanisms may explain the adverse effect of red meat intake on mortality risk. Regarding heart disease mortality, we previously reported that red meat intake was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and saturated fat and cholesterol from red meat may partially explain this association.” Another explanation of the higher rates of mortality in those who ate more red meat refers to several studies which have been done on red meat’s association with caner risk. The study states, “Red meat intake has been associated with increased risks of colorectal cancer and several other cancers.” Eating red meat being associated with higher rates of heart disease and cancer does much to explain the higher mortality risk.
Switch At Least One Serving of Red Meat Per Day to Other Foods!
For biohackers interested in increasing lifespan, the researchers’ conclusion is clear: “Compared with red meat, other dietary components, such as fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains, were associated with lower risk. These results indicate that replacement of red meat with alternative healthy dietary components may lower the mortality risk.” Switch at least one serving of red meat per day with any other foods, and you’re more likely to live a longer life!
- Sun, Q., Bernstein, A., Schulze, M. B., Manson, J. E., Stampfer, M. J., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2012). Red meat consumption and mortality. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(7), 555. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.2287
