A major new study confirms what health food fanatics have known all along: a diet rich in red meat is unhealthy. In the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, more than 500,000 people ages 50 to 71 completed a questionnaire that asked about their red meat consumption. The researchers rated the amount consumed as follows: high intake was considered 4.5 ounces of red meat per day, with the low-intake group averaging approximately .5 ounces daily. Of the 4.5 ounces consumed by the high-intake group, 1.5 ounces was from processed meat, compared to less than two tenths of an ounce for the low-intake group.

By recording the time and cause of the 47,976 men and 23,276 women who had died at the end of 10 years, the researchers found a definite increase in the risk of death for the high-intake group. Specifically, the increased risk of death for men was 31 percent, compared to 36 percent for women. The incidence of cancer was also higher in the high-intake group: 22 percent higher in men and 20 percent higher in women; while the risk of heart disease was 27 percent higher for men and an astronomical 50 percent higher for women in the high-intake group as compared to those who consumed a low amount of red meat. Eating more processed meat also increased the risk of death - by 16 percent in men and 25 percent in women. And the risk of fatal cancers rose by 12 percent in men and 11 percent in women. Because exact consumption levels were not precisely measured - and simply gleaned by the questionnaire results - additional studies need to be done. But such results as the 50 percent increase in heart disease risk for women suggest that consumption of red meat should not exceed 1.5 ounces daily.

The amount of saturated fat in meat is the key reason eating more red meat is a risk factor for high cholesterol and heart disease. In addition, new research is shedding light on the compound heterocyclic amines (HCAs). These form when red meat is cooked at high temperatures, such as when broiled or prepared on the grill. Currently studies are being conducted to investigate the link between HCAs and stomach, rectal and brain cancer.

Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that participants in the high-intake category were at greater risk for developing macular degeneration. In fact, consuming red meat ten times a week or more increases one's risk of the eye disease by 47 percent compared to those who consume red meat less than five times a week.

News Release: Red meat increases risk for heart disease, cancer and macular degeneration http://www.healthnews.com/blogs/melanie-grimes/nutrition-diet/red-meat-increases-risk-heart-disease-cancer-macular-degeneration-3397.h July 10, 2009