The Myth of Red Meat
Red meat has been eaten by our ancestors for millions of years. First, starting with the evolutionary change of the human diet with the incorporation of meat and marrow, which occurred 2.6 million years ago. Our ancestors strived off of this omnivore diet consisting of plants, veggies, fruits, and now meat. This allowed the evolution of our organs to increase and improve, for example, the human brain takes up about 2% of a modern human’s weight but takes up 20% of energy. This disproportionate use of such resources may have shown the reason why meat-eating came to be in our ancestor’s diet to cover for our brain’s evolutionary changes. Without the abundance of calories afforded by meat-eating, the human brain simply could not have evolved to its current form which shows its crucial need to our bodies.
Is Red Meat actually Bad for you?
We’ve heard the same words for most of our lives surrounding meat, “Cut back on red meat, and favor other proteins like fish, chicken, etc.” But do these studies actually support this widespread belief that red meat can hurt our internal organs like the heart, liver, and kidney?
A team of researchers conducted five systematic reviews looking at the effects of red meat and processed meat on multiple health issues, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and premature death. They found “low” evidence that either red meat or processed meat is harmful and their advice was that there’s no reason to worry about lowering your regular intake of these foods for health reasons.
In another study done by Healthline, they did not find a significant association between red meat and the possible outcomes that the myth proclaims like heart disease for example, after looking at 12 randomized trials with about 54,000 people.
But don’t get it twisted - this doesn’t mean you can go out and eat a burger whenever you please. A panel of Nutritional Recommendations (NutriRECS) advises that most people can eat red meat at average consumption levels which happens to be 3 to 4 times per week for adults in North America and Europe.
But Dr. Frank Hu, chair of the Department of the Nation of Nutrition says that Processed meat products contain high amounts of additives and chemicals. "Again, there is not a specific amount that is considered safe, so you should keep processed meat intake to a minimum," he says.
The Bottom Line
There have been studies of high red meat consumption linked to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. However, the keyword here is “high”; red meat doesn’t seem to be harmful when consumed in healthy normal amounts, despite an overwhelming belief that the opposite is true. Dr. Hu says, "This new red meat and processed meat recommendation was based on flawed methodology and a misinterpretation of nutritional evidence." For processed meat, the risk is a bit higher; there are nitrates, flavor enhancers, stabilizers, colorants, and many more preservatives. These processed meats often include meats like hot dogs, salami, sausages, or anything that is preserved through curing and smoking or even just adding preservatives. The dosage is what matters here so too much of anything can have adverse side effects on your health.
References
What’s the Beef with Red Meat? - Harvard Health Publishing (https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/whats-the-beef-with-red-meat) (2020)
Red Meat Hurts Your Heart, Right? Scientists Find That May Not Be True. - Healthline (https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-you-cook-red-meat-not-the-meat-itself-is-what-hurts-y%20our-heart#2) (2022)
Is Red Meat Bad for You? - Cleveland Clinic (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-red-meat-bad-for-you) (2024)