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A major new study links regular meat consumption with a wide range of diseases.
Conducted by a team at the University of Oxford, the study has been published in BMC Medicine.
‘Higher risks of heart disease’
It found that higher consumption of unprocessed red meat and processed meat combined is associated with higher risks of issues such as ischaemic heart disease, pneumonia, and diabetes.
In fact, just 70g more red and processed meat per day was associated with a 15 percent higher risk of ischaemic heart disease. It also resulted in a 30 percent higher risk of diabetes.
Moreover, higher consumption of poultry meat was associated with higher risks of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, and duodenitis. As well as issues such as diverticular disease, gallbladder disease, and diabetes.
Every 30g higher poultry meat intake per day was associated with a 17 percent higher risk of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. And, a 14 percent greater risk of diabetes.
Unprocessed red meat and processed meat may increase heart disease risk because they’re ‘major dietary sources of saturated fatty acids’. These can increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, an established risk factor for ischaemic heart disease.
‘Decreasing meat consumption’
Moreover, Dr. Keren Papier, from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, is the study’s lead author.
In a statement sent to PBN, she said: “We’ve long known that unprocessed red meat and processed meat consumption is likely to be carcinogenic.
“This research is the first to assess the risk of 25 non-cancerous health conditions in relation to meat intake in one study. “
Dr. Papier then concluded: “Additional research is needed to evaluate whether the differences in risk we observed in relation to meat intake reflect causal relationships… And, if so, the extent to which these diseases could be prevented by decreasing meat consumption. “
You can read the full study here
