Red meat consumption increases mortality rates

A study of Pan et al. 2012 supports the long ongoing hypothesis that red meat consumption increases the risk of total, CVD, and cancer mortality. The data of more than 120.000 observations and dietary habits of 2 prospective cohort studies over the course of 20-30 years demonstrate that people eating daily red meats, such as hot dogs, sausages and other processed  red meats, had a 20% increase in mortality rate. [1]

The substitutions of 1 serving of red meat per day by other foods, such as fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy, and whole grains, reduces mortality risk by 7% to 19%, and 9.3% of deaths in men and 7.6% in women could be prevented when less than 0.5 servings per day (42 g/d) of red meat are consumed, estimate the authors.

Pan and colleagues also stress that adjustment for saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, and heme iron accounted for some but not all of the risk of eating red meat. Thus, other mechanisms such as nontraditional risk factors may be involved, such as healthy effects of plant based foods, rich in   phytochemicals, bioflavonoids replacing red meat.

Considering isolated changes in weight, blood pressure, and lipid levels in High-Fat, High-Protein, Low-Carbohydrate (HPLC) diets may underestimate the negative influence of HPLC diets on health outcomes, such as morbidity and mortality, comments Ornish 2012 He reaffirms the basis of healthy nutrition [2]:

- Little or no red meat.
- high vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and soy products.
- low in simple and refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and white flour.
- high in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, flax oil.
- low in trans fats, saturated fats, and hydrogenated fats.

[1] Pan A, Sun Q, Bernstein AM, Schulze MB, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Hu FB: Red Meat Consumption and Mortality: Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Mar 12. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.2287
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archinternmed.2011.2287

[2] Ornish D: Holy Cow! What's Good For You Is Good For Our Planet: Comment on "Red Meat Consumption and Mortality" Arch Intern Med. 2012 Mar 12.
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archinternmed.2012.174v1