Is Meat Bad For Your Health?
Consuming two servings of red and processed meats a week is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and mortality (Allen). Some nutritionists and researchers say that red meats are linked with the causation of cancer, type 2 diabetes, or heart disease. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that red meat and processed meat are carcinogenic, which denotes the ability or tendency to produce cancer (IARC). IARC put processed meat next to tobacco smoking and asbestos in the same list of carcinogenic substances. Though processed meat and regular meat are not as equally dangerous to tobacco smoking and asbestos it has its subtle harmful effects on the human body. Then what are the harmful effects? Is eating meat overall healthy?
Hence, I read journal articles and researches that are made on processed meat and its effect on human health to find the most appropriate answers to my previous questions: What are the harmful effects of processed meat? And is meat healthy? Through my research, I have looked into the meat linkages to the risk of colorectal cancers, cardiovascular disease mortality, and cancer incidence.
Researchers and nutritionists say that red meat contains the principal nutrients, which are vitamin B-12, and iron. Despite its containment of important nutrients to the human body, there are some study results that suggest eating “a lot of red meat can raise a person’s risk of certain cancers, heart disease, and other health concerns” (Medical News Today). One of the main types of cancers associated with eating processed meat is colorectal cancer. According to the study, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the World Cancer Research Fund, vegetarians had a 22% lower overall risk for colorectal cancers than non-vegetarians (Wise 1). From a pair of large 2005 studies, the European research tracked 478,000 men and women who were free of cancer for 5 years and follow-up, 1,329 participants were diagnosed with colon cancer. People who ate the most red meat (approximately 5 ounces or more per day) were roughly a third more likely than those who ate the least red meat to get colon cancer (less than an ounce a day on average). The result of the 29 studies that are made on the linkages between meat consumption and colon cancer concluded that red meat increases risk by 28%, and high consumption of processed meat increases risk by 20% (Harvard Health Publishing).
In the most recent studies made by the Global Burden of Disease Project, the estimation of cancer deaths per year worldwide that are attributed to diets high in processed meat is 34,000, however, the number could reach up to 50,000 (World Health Organization). A meta-analysis of 7 studies with a total of 124,706 participants, which was made by Chinese and Australian nutritionists, showed the mortality from ischemic heart disease was significantly lower by 29% in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians. Vegetarians had a significantly lower cancer incidence by 18% than non-vegetarians (Huang et al. 233).
The area study of harmful effects of meat is limited. There are many questions and concerns revolving around the topic of meat diets, however, there is not enough available data out there to draw the absolute conclusion of “Meat is unhealthy”. Lots of studies conclude that people who eat an appropriate amount of meat are less susceptible to developing cancer and health complications. One does not have to completely cut off meat from his/her diet, but “The evidence suggests that you would be wise to limit your consumption” (Harvard Health Publishing). It is not the meat itself that is unhealthy but rather the quantity of meats we are eating matters the most. If we look back, we should not ask “Is meat healthy?”, but instead we should rephrase the question into “How much meat is healthy?”
Bibliography
Allen, Norrina.
Harvard Health Publishing. “Red meat and colon cancer.” Harvard Medical School, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/red-meat-and-colon-cancer.
Huang, Tao, et al. “Cardiovascular Disease Mortality and Cancer Incidence in Vegetarians.” 2012.
IARC. “Carcinogenicity of consumption of red meat and processed meat: A review of scientific news since the IARC decision.” 2015.
Wise, Jacqui. “Vegetarians have lower risk of colorectal cancers, study finds.” 2015.
World Health Organization. “Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.” https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat.
