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Warning, meat lovers: study shows red meat increases risk of death!

You probably already know that too much meat is bad for your health. This new evidence drives the point deeper.

A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute showed that people who eat the most red meat and the most processed meat have the highest overall risk of death from all causes, including cancer and heart disease.

Since the average American eats almost twice his or her weight in meat each year, meat lovers have a reason to be worried.

Researchers examined the records of more than 500,000 people between the ages of 50 to 71 who answered questions about their diet and other health habits, including eating meat, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, smoking, exercise and obesity.

They found that those who ate meat the most were more likely to die over the next decade than those who ate the least meat.

Their findings associated red and processed meat intake with “modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.”

The volunteers were divided into five groups called quintiles. The quintile which ate the most red meat showed the highest risk for overall mortality and between 1995 and 2005, 47,976 men and 23,276 women died.

The researchers said that 11 percent of deaths in men and 16 percent of deaths in women could be prevented if people decreased their red meat consumption to the level of intake in the first quintile.

They also noted that the meat contained a number of carcinogenic chemicals and unhealthy forms of fat.

Americans get most of their red meat intake from beef. Statistics from the USDA Economic Research Service showed that the U.S. consumed an estimated 28.1 billion lbs of beef in 2007.

Nutrition and diet expert Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician by training, believes that the dangers of eating red meat are compounded by eating common and traditionally raised beef.

What’s in Your Beef?

According to Dr. Mercola, the unhealthy components of common beef are:

• More omega-6 fat content – Most commercial cattle are fed grains and studies show this increases the amount of omega-6 fats in the beef and lessens the omega-3 fat content. Omega-6 fats have been linked to heart disease and other health problems while omega-3 fats are beneficial for heart health.
• Hormones – Besides feeding them with enormous quantities of grain (usually corn) and protein supplements, traditionally raised beef calves are fed or implanted with various drugs and hormones, including estradiol, progesterone and testosterone to "promote efficient growth." Some scientists believe that human consumption of estrogen from hormone-fed beef can lead cancer, premature puberty and falling sperm counts.
• Antibiotics – Some nine million pounds of antibiotic feed additives are used in the cattle-raising process each year. This routine antibiotic use in cattle contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in humans.
• Vaccines and other drugs – Besides antibiotics, traditionally raised cattle are also given vaccines and other drugs.
• Irradiation – Some commercial beef is irradiated, which means it will be bombarded with gamma rays from the radioactive material cobalt 60 or electricity, to kill bacteria. The effects of long-term consumption of irradiated foods remain to be seen but the potential dangers of food irradiation cannot be ignored. Dr. Mercola strongly advises people to avoid irradiated meat. You may not be aware of it, but school districts can buy irradiated beef to serve during lunch at the cafeteria and parents don’t need to know.

Grass-Fed Beef is a Healthier Alternative

If you can’t avoid red meat, you might as well eat the healthiest beef available. Mercola recommends grass-fed beef because it is leaner and lacks marbling (streaking of fat). The lack of marbling lowers the levels of fats and calories the beef contains.

Additionally, studies show that grass-fed cattle have an omega-6-omega-3 ratio of 3:1, while grain-fed cattle can have ratios that may exceed 20:1.

Be careful when buying grass-fed beef as there are many stores that label their beef as grass-fed when it really isn't. Technically, all cattle are grass-fed but what you don’t know is what they are fed in the months prior to being processed. You need to call the farmer who actually raised the cows to find out.

You can determine if the beef being sold was really grass-fed by buying ground beef and slowly cook it till done and drain and collect the fat. Since grass-fed beef is very high in omega-3 fats, it will be relatively thin compared to traditionally prepared ground beef. It will also be liquid at room temperature because it has very few saturated fats, which are solid at room temperature.

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