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A new report released Monday claims the science is clear: Eating too much meat is bad for your health.
The so-called Meat Eater's Guide, compiled by the Environmental Working Group, is generating buzz for its "cradle-to-grave" look at the environmental impact of 20 popular types of meat, dairy and vegetable proteins. But it also emphasizes the potential health impact of eating too much meat, recommending that people cut back to decrease their risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
"The goal is to really make this information accessible to consumers," said Kari Hamerschlag, an agriculture analyst with the research and advocacy group. "On the health side, we really pulled together all of the information and tried to make it as clear as possible that there's not just one reason to limit meat consumption; there are a whole host of reasons."
The report, which weaves together statistics from various earlier studies, allows that meat can be an important source of protein and vitamins when eaten in moderation. But in the U.S., moderation may be a problem. The report cites data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization suggesting that Americans consume almost 60 percent more meat than their European counterparts, and four times more than in many developing countries. And much of that meat is either red or processed.
The health effects of this, the EWG report claims, are myriad: A 2009 report from the National Cancer Institute found that people who ate the most red meat -- which can have high levels of cholesterol-rising saturated fat -- were 27 percent more likely to die of heart disease. That same report also found serious meat eaters were 20 percent more likely to die of cancer than those who consumed the least amount of meat.
12:53 PM on 7/18/2011
How does knowing tht make you feel? I watched the dad I loved nearly die from cancer which likely was linked to meat consumption, he ate a bunch. Lucky him, he died relatively young of a heart attack instead.
12:46 PM on 7/18/2011
Then I’m one diseased son-of-a-gun!
04:06 PM on 7/18/2011
Is that your 1 Reasoned Truth?
01:59 PM on 7/18/2011
Hmmm. I never heard of ice cream you could drizzle. It’s a Cartesian question really. If it’s warmed up enough to drizzle, is it still ice cream?
01:09 PM on 7/18/2011
Sure there is. Strawberry shortcake and ice cream, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Soft Otameal Raisin Cookies. French Vanilla ice cream drizzled all over a shapely babe who wants you to move fast before it runs onto the bed. And this is only the short version of the short list. . .
01:03 PM on 7/18/2011
Or the Bleu Cheese.
12:54 PM on 7/18/2011
Don’t forget the grilled onions and mushrooms too!
01:02 PM on 7/18/2011
Depends on if it’s medium rare or just medium, honestly. I prefer MR, more flavor.
12:53 PM on 7/18/2011
Better in what way?
12:46 PM on 7/18/2011
There is nothing better than a USDA Prime corn-fed beef steak cooked over a wood fire.
04:07 PM on 7/18/2011
There is about to be 7 billion people on the plant. (I know that sentence is problematic.) the amount of people you know is what percentage of that population? Is that enough to skew the results enough to invalidate them?
12:37 PM on 7/18/2011
Being sedentary gives you heart disease. All the active read meat eaters I know have great health.
12:34 PM on 7/18/2011
It’s definitely not news, yet if you wait a few minutes, you are going to see post after post arguing this fact.
12:27 PM on 7/18/2011
Sorry, this isn’t news. People have known for decades that eating too much meat gives you heart disease.
01:31 PM on 7/18/2011
I would attest that it’s even easier to eat too much sugar than say, too much meat…but that really is a negligible point. It’s because people have a high demand for such things, that industry has made it accessible, which brings it back to my original point, eating too much of anything is bad for your health…
01:11 PM on 7/18/2011
this is so true, it is so quick easy to gulp down a burger, fries and coke at 1000 calories, but try eating 1000 calories in unprocessed veggies, fruits, etc. without butter/dressing, It’s going take a while…
12:33 PM on 7/18/2011
In our culture, it’s a lot easier to eat too much meat than say, too much broccoli.
12:39 PM on 7/18/2011
Maybe we should all have pot in every chicken.
12:31 PM on 7/18/2011
so far..
pot is the only thing that you can’t eat too much of..
maybe spinich too.
12:27 PM on 7/18/2011
Eating too much of anything is bad for your health…
10:06 AM on 7/19/2011
My reason for eating meat is that I am severely insulin resistant/carb intolerant and that I cannot metabolize glucose. Therefore, the only way I can fuel my body is on ketones, the end-product of fat metabolism. Meat is the best source of the high amounts of fat and moderate protein that my body needs to live. The same is true for my biological relatives, and in truth, about 75% of humans who have not evolved to handle the carb load of the modern diet.
12:43 PM on 7/18/2011
The bleu-cheese-crumble covered New York Strip that I had the other night was reason enough. It wasn’t funny, but it was delicious.
04:02 PM on 7/18/2011
"You don’t need sharp thin teeth to eat veggies and fruit, only large flat grinding style teeth."
This is simply not true. Not all herbivores are grazing animals or ruminates. I suggest looking at a gorillas teeth. Or any of our other herbivorous relatives. Not to mention, even horses do not exclusively have molars. (grinding plants is only one function of teeth.)
12:47 PM on 7/18/2011
They had to eat meat to survive because they hadn’t learned to farm.
12:37 PM on 7/18/2011
At one point in human ancestors time there were 2 versions of us, one that ate meat, fruits and vegetables(omnivore), and one that ate fruits and vegetables exclusively(herbivore). The herbivore went extinct while the omnivore eventually lead to modern humans.
One argument is well you have to clear out large areas for animals to graze. Last time I checked you have to clear large areas for vegetables to grow. If you don’t believe me look at the great plains, that area used to be a great FOREST.
Meat is an important part of the human diet, if it wasn’t our teeth would all look like molars, as do all herbivores teeth. You don’t need sharp thin teeth to eat veggies and fruit, only large flat grinding style teeth.
So its funny how people will make up reasons to only eat vegetables, when there is no other proof than that it is "greener"
12:36 PM on 7/18/2011
Not only is it cheap protein it tastes so so good! I feel fab when I have a belly full of red meat and that is all the reason I need to carry on.
03:56 PM on 7/18/2011
Heroin makes you feel good. Is that reason enough to use it?
12:33 PM on 7/18/2011
same here!
12:32 PM on 7/18/2011
My reason for eating meat is that it’s delicious.
12:29 PM on 7/18/2011
So funny how people will make up reasons to eat meat when there are none other than that its a cheap protein source.