Meat consumption significantly raises death rates
Meat consumption significantly raises death rates, according to a large-scale study of over 1.5 million people by Mayo Clinic scientists.
The study, entitled “Is Meat Killing Us?” focused mainly on the health effects red meat and processed meats in particular.
The authors analyzed six studies that observed the effects of meat and vegetarian diets on death risk. Their goal was to inform doctors on whether or not they should recommend their patients to eat more plant based food and less meats.
“This data reinforces what we have known for so long — your diet has great potential to harm or heal,” said Brookshield Laurent, DO, assistant professor of family medicine and clinical sciences at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. “This clinical-based evidence can assist physicians in counseling patients about the important role diet plays, leading to improved preventive care, a key consideration in the osteopathic philosophy of medicine.”
The researchers found that the meat consumption significantly raises death rates, and more than any other dietary factor they tested for.
One of the studies that the researchers reviewed followed over 1 million people for up to 28 years. That study took into account processed meats like bacon, sausage, salami, hot dogs and ham, as well as unprocessed red meat like uncured, unsalted beef, pork, lamb or game.
This is not the first study to link meat consumption to higher mortality rates or serious disease. Recent research from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that red meat increases kidney cancer risk.
Another study funded by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund linked processed meat to stomach cancer.
The study showing that meat consumption significantly raises death rates was published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.
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REFERENCES:
1. “It’s Not Just Bacon: Analysis of More than 1.5 Million People Finds Meat Consumption Raises All-Cause Mortality Rates.” American Osteopathic Association. American Osteopathic Association, 25 Apr. 2016. Web. 09 May 2016.
2. “Is Meat Killing Us?” The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.
3. “Alcohol and Processed Meat Linked to Stomach Cancer.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 9 May 2016.
4. “Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Stomach Cancer.” Continuous Update Project (2016): 4-5. World Cancer Research Fund International. Web. 9 May 2016.
5. “Gene-environment Interaction of Genome-wide Association Study-identified Susceptibility Loci and Meat-cooking Mutagens in the Etiology of Renal Cell Carcinoma.” Wiley Online Library. Cancer, n.d. Web. 9 May 2016.
