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Why a Low-Meat Diet Is Desirable?
 

Meat forms an integral part of our daily diet with the exception of vegetarians and people who do not eat meat because of religious reasons. Being a good source of protein, meat contains many essential nutrients required for healthy growth and development of children, and a full complement of the amino acids required for the human diet.

However, it seems that most people consume more meat than required. That is why problems begin. Many studies have linked consumption of meat especially red meat like beef, pork and lamb to chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), and even certain types of cancers.

A report released on October 19, 2010 claimed that cutting meat consumption to a maximum of 3 times a week would greatly reduce the risk of dying from heart disease and cancer. In a study of British eating habits, public health experts and environmental group Friends of the Earth (FoE) found that a low-meat diets would prevent 31,000 people dying early from heart disease, 9,000 from cancer and 5,000 from strokes.

Switching to a low-meat diet could also save the British National Health Service some 1.2 billion pounds, and help reduce climate change and deforestation in South America, where the rainforests are being cleared to grow animal feed and graze cows that are exported to Europe.

According to FoE’s guideline, people should not consume more than 210 grams of meat each week as eating too much meat especially processed meat is bad for health. Instead, people should eat more fruit and vegetables.

The new findings definitely annoyed meat producers, who criticized the report simply lacked of persuasiveness. They find it hard to convince that a dramatic result could be achieved by just changing one element of the diet. After all, majority of consumers already eat less red meat following recommendation by health experts and doctors.

Before this, there were studies that highlighted the link between red meat and increased risk of heart disease and cancer, in particular colorectal cancer.

In a paper published on March 23, 2009 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from the National Cancer Institute reported that eating red meat raises the risk of dying prematurely. The study involved more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans and is believed to be the first large study examining the relationship between eating meat and overall risk of mortality, and was by far the most detailed.

Data from 545,653 predominantly white volunteers, aged between 50 and 71 participating in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study was analyzed. In 1995, the participants completed detailed questionnaires regarding their diets that included meat consumption. Over the next 10 years, 47,976 men and 23,276 women died.

People who consumed about 4 ounces of red meat a day (equivalent of a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease and cancer during the 10 years they were followed. Meanwhile sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats could also increase the chance of dying prematurely.

On the hand, routine consumption of fish, chicken, turkey and other poultry, did decrease the risk of death by a small amount. This is because poultry contains more unsaturated fat that improves cholesterol levels, and fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acid, which could help reduce risk of heart disease.

Why is red meat unhealthy? There are several explanations. Firstly, cooking red meat generates cancer-causing compounds. Secondly, red meat is high in saturated fat that has been linked to breast and colorectal cancer. Thirdly, red meat is also high in iron, which is believed to promote cancer. Fourthly, people who eat red meat are more likely to develop high blood pressure and high cholesterol level, which raises the likelihood of getting heart disease. Lastly, processed meat contains substances known as nitrosamines that are linked to cancer.

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