Eating Red Meat Increases Risk Of…

Posted by foodess on Tue 24th of Mar, 2009 08:17:46 AM

Death. This according to a recent study published in the New York Times. Hmm… And all this time I thought we all had the same risk of death. Like, 100%.

The thing that irks me about publications like this, is that it totally freaks people out using dumbed-down, dramatic phrases such as “those who ate the most red meat were most likely to die”. I wonder how many people are giving the poor cow the heave-ho based on research that is obviously lacking for controls? For example, are those whose meat consumption is greatest eating meat at the exclusion of things like grains and vegetables? Are they getting the meat in the form of daily slabs of fast-food hamburger meat, with a ginormous side of fries and a litre of coke? Are the people who eat more meat eating more of everything in general? Are the people who eat less meat more health-conscious in general? Don’t forget the “French paradox” where people eat plenty of red meat, usually with a side of butter, and have much lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in North America.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not gonna be throwing out my steak knives any time soon. Pfft. This kind of journalism really gets my goat. Mmmm… meaty goat….

9 Responses

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   Marco Montez - March 24th, 2009 at 8:52 am

   Very well said… besides, if I can’t eat red meat what’s the point in living? ;-)

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   Stacerella - March 24th, 2009 at 9:02 am

   Although I gave up red meat a few years ago because whenever I ate it, my arms went into nighttime spasms of acute pain and painful numbness in two fingers, and within days of abstaining the pain went away mysteriously, I do agree with you on the lack of controls as well as common sense. It’s like the Western world has lost all sense of proportion and clear thinking where food is concerned. It’s frightful to know that many will be discussing giving up red meat and siting this study you linked to directly. Oy!

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   Uncle Ray - March 24th, 2009 at 9:57 am

   Year 11-12 for me. People have no idea the health benefits of cutting out meat. not to mention the cost!

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   foodess - March 24th, 2009 at 10:36 am

   Marco - haha, amen!

   Stacerella - yikes! yeah, I think I would avoid anything that I thought induced night spasms, too…

   Uncle Ray - although I absolutely respect your choices, the message is kinda the opposite of what I am trying to convey… there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the health benefits are actually based on eating less meat. The benefits are just as likely to be associated with other variables, i.e. eating more vegetables… which you can do, and eat your meat, too. The problem with dietary studies, is that they are endlessly multi-factoral, and you cannot eat less of one thing without eating more of another. I am just trying to point out that a correlation is by no means the same as a causal relationship.

   Some of the healthiest, longest living populations on earth eat red meat on a regular basis. I think we need to spend more energy on enjoying food than on stressing and making rules about it.

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   Anthony - March 24th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

   This “study” is a joke. They compared two extremes and the researcher himself called the added risks “modest” and it is full of common sense that anyone should know. I guess we’re supposed to take it seriously due to the quantity of participants but they don’t even delve into the socio-economic status of the participants. He also stated that people had to go off memory of what they ate?? Talk about a waste of money…..looks to me like more “global warming” bs and propaganda. I guess this study is meant mainly for the “Sheeple” as I like to call them (see PETA supporters/morons). Anyone knows that most things are fine IN MODERATION and that some lean meat can prevent chronic disease when eaten as part of a balanced diet.

   What we need is a study showing how the crap we feed these animals is the biggest detriment to our health and probably contributes to most of the health issues. I’ll be watching for the next “study”…….”Too much of (insert food) increases mortality risk.”

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   Elyse - March 24th, 2009 at 8:34 pm

   I’m not a big meat eater, but that said, I’m always skeptical of publications like this. Chances are, they looked at people who ONLY ate red meat or something. Well, duh, everything in moderation is a good motto to live by. Oy, I hate that these publications create such hype!

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   Kunoichi - March 30th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

   Junkfoodscience covered this “study”, too. Just another data dredge.

   Someone hand me a steak… I’m hankering for some red meat! ;-)

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   David - May 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 am

   Indeed yes - well said and thanks for saying it! We are evolved to eat meat after all - though not to eat a lot of the rubbish that modern life happily calls food! If you trace our diet back to what we ‘originally’ developed to eat, it is interesting to note that the things NOT on that list corresponds very strongly to the things that cause the most allergic reactions and intolerances - like milk and wheat (bread) etc. There’s a certain sense in that, when you consider how fast humanity has developed and changed its diets. We started making bread - we started cooking things that were inedible like grains and beans - etc etc. Those are the new things we have to deal with, it seems. Meat in itself seems one of the grand originals and always seems a positive thing to me! And that’s where the argument begins with those who have somehow convinced themselves, thanks to the fast food horrors maybe and to reports like you are referring to, that it is something intrinsically evil.

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   Khalil - July 14th, 2009 at 7:19 am

   For me, take a small quantity of red meat should be ok, hey how do we live without it. I mean it much-much better than taking a pork (pig meat) right? that not good for your health also. A little quantity is better than never.Is like your fasting for years without taking carbonate drink like Pepsi etc.

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