The latest study of the effects of eating red meat – including poultry and processed meat – found that as little as two servings per week were linked to a three to seven percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease and a three percent higher risk of all causes of death. In this study “meat” included processed meat as well as red meat and poultry, but not fish. The new findings are at odds with those from a study published in October 2019 concluding that there was no health benefit to be gained by reducing consumption of red or processed meat. Victor Zhong, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University and a leader of the latest study, said the new research found a positive association between eating poultry and cardiovascular disease but noted that “the evidence so far isn’t sufficient to make a clear recommendation about poultry intake.” Study co-author Linda Van Horn professor or preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine added that fish, seafood and plant-based sources of protein such as nuts and legumes, including beans and peas, “are excellent alternatives to meat and are under-consumed in the U.S.”

My take? The question of whether or not it’s healthy to cut back on eating red and processed meat seemed settled years ago. The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines have all recommended limiting consumption of these foods. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified processed meat products as carcinogens (these include hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage and some deli meats). Earlier studies have shown that a diet low in red and processed meat is associated with a 14 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, an 11 percent lower risk of death from cancer, and a 24 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The new study findings are consistent with the results of considerable previous research showing that a diet high in red meat is unhealthy.

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