Red meat increases the risk of premature death
1 comentarioPor manzanaEl March 14, 2012
Consuming high amounts of red meat increases up to 20% risk of dying prematurely from cancer or cardiovascular disease, reveals research in the United States.
Scientists at the School of Public Health, Harvard University, found that eating red meat is responsible for nearly one in 10 deaths occurring prematurely.
And add that to halve the currently recommended limit of consumption of meat daily.
The study also found that this product replaced by healthier sources of protein, such as fish, chicken, nuts, leading to a decrease in the risk of death.
The research, which is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Archives of Internal Medicine), is one of the largest that have been conducted on the link between mortality and red meat.
The study followed more than 120,000 men and women for 28 years in the United States.
The study followed 37,698 men between 1986 and 2008 and 83 644 women between 1980 and 2008.
During the study period, participants completed questionnaires about their eating habits every four years and ultimately nearly 24,000 deaths were documented, of which about 6,000 were from cardiovascular disease and 9,500 from cancer.
When comparing the results the scientists found that people who ate one serving of red meat each day unprocessed showed a 13% increase in the risk of dying prematurely from any cause.
The risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 18% and of dying from cancer of 13%.
Among those who ate a daily serving of processed red meat-the equivalent of a sausage or two slices of bacon-the risk was even higher: 20% more likely to die prematurely from any cause, 21% of dying from cardiovascular disease and 16 % of dying from cancer.
"Clear"
"Our study supports the evidence of health risks from consuming large amounts of red meat, which has been linked in other studies to type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and some cancers," said Dr. An Pan , who led the study.
"Our study shows clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death."
Dr. Frank Hu
As the researcher, red meat, especially processed and contains ingredients that have been associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
These include saturated fats, salt, iron hemoproteins, nitrites and certain carcinogens that are formed during the cooking process.
Saturated fat and salt in these products increase the risk of hypertension, which is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The study, however, also showed that people who replaced one serving of red meat with a healthy source of protein showed a lower risk of premature mortality.
Among those who ate fish saw a 7% reduction in the risk of dying prematurely, those who ate chicken had 14% less risk, shelled nuts reduced the risk 19%, 10% legumes, dairy products low in 10% fat and 14% whole grains.
The recommendations of health authorities in many countries set limit red meat intake to 70 grams a day (about two regular steaks a week).
But the new study suggests that this amount is "generous" and if meat consumption is limited to 42 grams per day (the equivalent of a large steak a week) could save many lives.
As said Dr. Frank Hu, one of the researchers, "the study estimate that 9.3% of all deaths in men and 7.6% of women could have been prevented if participants had consumed less than 0.5 of daily serving of red meat they ate during the investigation. "
"The bottom line is that red meat should be an occasional food in our diet and should not be a regular part of this."
"Our study shows clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death."
"On the other hand, choose healthy sources of protein instead of red meat can offer significant health benefits by reducing chronic disease morbidity and mortality" adds the scientist.
Via: BBC