Red meat associated with increased mortality rates

Sources: Archives of Internal Medicine; Journal of the American Medical Association; ABC News

A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine evaluates the effects of red meat consumption on mortality rates. The authors used data from two longitudinal studies that tracked the diets of more than 121,000 men and women for up to 28 years.

Approximately 20 percent of those studies’ participants died during the data collection period. In analyzing the dietary information for those participants who died, the authors of the new study estimate that each serving of red meat per day increased a participants’ likelihood of dying during the study by 13%.

Based on their observations, the authors found that substituting one serving of red meat each day with other foods (including fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy, and whole grains) was associated with a 7-19% lower risk of death. They estimate that 9.3% of the deaths of male subjects and 7.6% of the deaths of female subjects could have been prevented had they consumed less than half a serving (or 42 grams) of red meat each day.