The Truth About Red Meat
Over the past several decades, red meat has become the scapegoat for poor health outcomes ranging from obesity to heart disease and cancer.
- Have you been told to cut down on red meat?
- Have you heard red meat is bad for you?
- Have you heard red meat is good for you?
- Are you confused about what is correct?
Read on in this article to find out the truth about red meat!
First: Most Studies on Red Meat and Health Effects are Observational
Most studies are observational and cannot prove causation. Many confounding factors potentially influencing results are not considered. These include the type or source of meat, how the meat was prepared, one’s gut microbiome, and other lifestyle factors. Consider, a typical meal with red meat in the Standard American Diet is a burger loaded with cheese and condiments on a fluffy bun with a deep-fried side of carbs cooked in inflammatory vegetable oils. Is the meat causing cancer and heart disease or is it lifestyle?
Some studies showed people who consumed more red meat also had a tendency to drink more alcohol, smoke, exercise less, eat fewer fresh fruits and vegetables – all factors that could influence the risk of cancer. “The biggest unresolved question is whether the highest consumption of meat is simply a marker for a set of lifestyle characteristics that increase risk of cancer,”(5) heart attack and stroke.
Second: Not all Red Meat is Created Equal
Before we dive into health effects and studies on red meat, it is important to have a basic understanding of differences in “red meat” when reading the studies. Red meat is defined as any meat that looks red raw, and turns dark with cooking. This includes beef, veal, lamb, pork, goat, boar, elk, moose, bison, and venison. Pork often turns lighter in color but is still classified as a red meat. Obviously, when reading the definitions of red meat below, you can see one should study one type of meat versus another, and not throw all red meat into the same nutritional or health outcome category. They are not the same.
- Conventional red meats are from animals raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The animals are confined, not freely able to roam, and are fed grain-based feeds, treated with antibiotics and hormones to increase weight.
- Processed red meats undergo methods to extend shelf life or improve taste through curing, smoking, and addition of preservatives. These red meats include hotdogs, bacon, and deli meats.
- Unprocessed red meats are uncooked, uncured, and not heat treated. Examples are ground beef, steak.
- Organic red meats are animals raised on 100% organic feed, do not receive hormones or antibiotics, and are not in overcrowded quarters or feedlots for extended periods of time.
- Grass-fed red meats are meats from animals that forage, graze on grass and are free to roam. It’s important they are grass-fed their entire life and are not given grains before butchered.
Does Red Meat Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke?
Commonly seen in the media are headlines “Red meat raises your heart risk”. When reading studies about meat, health effects of red meat and processed meat are quite often lumped together and considered one in the same. Even Harvard Medical School lumped all meat together when they published a statement1 in 2020, “Red and processed meats do increase health risks.” Several other observational studies have also concluded higher red and processed meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and cancer mortality.2 However, these types of studies don’t answer the question of unprocessed red meat only.
A study3 from 2013 linked red meat consumption with an increased risk of stroke and heart attack due to a theory human gut bacteria convert a substance in meat into an artery clogging compound called TMAO. A more recent study4 from 2020 debunked the conclusions from the 2013 study stating, “We found no direct link between TMAO and the extent of atherosclerosis either in humans or in the laboratory.”
Do Studies show a Higher Heart Risk and Cancer Risk eating Unprocessed Red Meat and/or Processed Meat?
Different conclusions concerning cardiovascular disease and cancer have been drawn from studies when isolating and comparing unprocessed versus processed meat.
- There was no association between unprocessed red meat consumption, mortality or major cardiovascular disease.
- However, the opposite was found for processed meat (6,19)
- Processed meat intake was associated with a 42% higher risk of coronary heart disease and a 19% higher risk of diabetes.11
- The higher risk is thought to be associated with increased amounts of sodium and nitrates.
- Processed meat consumption was associated with a 9% increased risk of breast cancer however most studies have not found a link (8,9,10)
- There was no evidence a higher intake of unprocessed meat increased cancer risk.
- There was a positive association with risk of colorectal cancer and processed meat (7)
Cancer Risk Theory
Studies show there can be a higher cancer risk with processed meat consumption versus unprocessed. Why? This is not yet fully understood, though theories have been made. Cured and smoked meats can produce cancer-causing carcinogens as they are processed with nitrites.12 Certain cooking methods can damage your food.
Frying, smoking and grilling produces carcinogenic chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), shown to cause cancer in animal experiments and an association with cancer risk in humans.13,14 PAHs are also produced by cigarette smoke and car exhaust fumes! To minimize this risk, limit charred food, marinade meat before cooking, steam rather than fry, and flip meat frequently if cooking at high temperatures.
Is Organic Grass-Fed Red Meat good for us?
A 3 oz serving of lean organic grass-fed red meat has over half the daily value of protein, essential vitamins and a quarter daily value of highly absorbable iron and zinc and essential fatty acids, as well as amino acids and all essential amnio acids. Amino acids are vital for protein synthesis, tissue repair, muscle recovery, and nutrient absorption.
Unprocessed organic grass-fed red meat has a highly absorbable nutrition profile providing minerals, antioxidant vitamins A and E, B12, B6, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin K2, CoQ10, and calcium.
Protein from red meat is highly digestible at 94% and provides all the essential amino acids to the body critical for building and repairing muscles and recovery. (15)
Grass-fed meat exhibits a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels whereas processed meat tends to be damaging due to high sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol. (16,17) The omega-6/omega-3 ratio so critical to optimal health can be thrown off further by processed and grain-fed meats. Most industrial meat is fed soy and corn grains, bringing a lot of inflammatory omega-6s and not enough anti-inflammatory omega-3s.
Grass-fed meat has an ideal fatty acid ratio whereas grain-fed meat does not. A study comparing grass-fed and grain-finished beef revealed a significant decline in antioxidant and fatty acid profile content within 30 days of switching the diet from grass to cereal grains.(18)
What’s the bottom line?
- Processed meats contain preservatives and make you more susceptible to carcinogens, heart disease, and a poor nutritional profile. Stay away from these meats. They are the “bad for you” meats.
- There is insufficient evidence to conclude unprocessed red meat is linked to cancer, diabetes, death, or increase in cholesterol.
- There is evidence to suggest type and quality of meat, and how it is processed plays a role in disease.
- More prospective studies on Grass-fed red meat monitoring other lifestyle factors need to be done.
- Unprocessed red meat presents a desirable nutrition profile including optimal fatty acids, protein, vitamins and minerals.
- Grass-fed over organic meat is superior.
- Unprocessed red meat can be an excellent addition to a balanced diet.
- A balanced diet of organic foods, and repletion of nutritional deficiencies is always key in diet selection.
When Choosing Meat:
- Choose grass-fed meat only. Look for “grass-fed and grass-finished” on the label. It is more important to choose grass-fed over organic.
- Eat approximately 12 -16 oz of organic grass-fed red meat a week and have cardiac IQ panel and nutritional blood work done to see how it is affecting you
- Avoid meat exposed to hormones, GMOs, pesticides and antibiotics
- Avoid CAFO meat
- Avoid processed meats
- Use gentle cooking methods and reduce charring
I hope this has helped!
Have an awesome day, Dr D
My bias and affiliations are I grew up on a horse and cattle ranch, and one of my brothers raises Hereford cattle. Check it out. Perks Ranch Cattle Division. Rockford, Illinois