WASHINGTON — Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to a large federal study that offers powerful new evidence that a diet that regularly includes steaks, burgers and pork chops is hazardous to your health.
The study of more than 500,000 middle-age and elderly Americans found that those who consumed the equivalent of about a small hamburger every day were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the 10 years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meat also increased the risk.
“The bottom line is we found an association between red meat and processed meat and an increased risk of mortality,” said Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute, who led the study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In contrast, routine consumption of fish, chicken, turkey and other poultry decreased the risk of death by 8 percent, the study found.
There are many explanations for how red meat might be unhealthy: Cooking red meat generates cancer-causing compounds; red meat is also high in saturated fat, which has been associated with breast and colorectal cancer; and meat is also high in iron, which also is believed to promote cancer.
People who eat red meat are more likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease. Processed meat contain substances known as nitrosamines, which have been linked to cancer.
After accounting for other variables, such as smoking and physical activity, the researchers found that those who consumed the most red meat — about a quarter-pound a day — were more likely to die of any reason, and from heart disease and cancer in particular, than those who consumed the least — the equivalent to a couple of slices of ham a day.
Women who ate the most red meat were 20 percent more likely to die from cancer and 50 percent more likely to die from heart disease. Men who ate the most meat were 22 percent more likely to die of cancer and 27 percent more likely to die of heart disease.
The risk was also elevated among those who consumed the most processed meat, which included any kind of sausage, cold cuts or hot dogs. Women who consumed the most processed meat, about an ounce a day, were about 11 percent more likely to die of cancer and about 38 percent more likely to die from heart disease. The men who ate the most processed meat were about 12 percent more likely to die of cancer and about 9 percent more likely to die of heart disease.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
