Meat Advisory Panel challenges red meat study

UK health and nutrition experts have challenged claims made by researchers at Harvard School of Medicine that people need to cut their red meat intake for health reasons.

The study, which has received extensive press coverage , including the front page of The Daily Telegraph, suggests that cutting the amount of red meat in people’s diets to 1.5oz (42g) a day could prevent almost one in 10 early deaths in men and one in 13 in women.

The study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine followed more than 100,000 people for around 28 years asking them periodically about their diet and lifestyle.

It concluded that for every serving of red meat – equivalent to 3oz (85g) – consumed each day there was an 18% increased risk of dying from heart disease and a 10% increased risk of dying from cancer.

But Dr Carrie Ruxton from the Meat Advisory Panel (MAP) said: “This US study looked at associations between high intakes of red meat and risk of mortality, finding a positive association between the two.

“However, the study was observational, not controlled, and so cannot be used to determine cause and effect. The authors’ conclusion that swapping a portion of red meat for poultry or fish each week may lower mortality risk was based only on a theoretical model. This conflicts with evidence from controlled trials.”

Dr Ruxton said in a recent intervention study, which compared a healthy, low meat diet (28g/day) with a healthy, high meat diet (156g/day), both groups experienced improvements in heart health indicators such as blood cholesterol levels.

In two other studies, meat diets were switched for fish diets and markers of colorectal cancer risk were studied.

Neither study showed a significant reduction in risk, even after six months.

“This suggests that a simple switch from red meat to white meat or fish doesn’t provide the benefits anticipated by the theoretical model,” she said.

“What is more concerning than the study itself is the continued willingness of the media to publish over-simplistic, misleading stories without any real understanding of the statistics involved, and with a sensational headline not borne out by the content of the story.” – Nick Allen, EBLEX

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition concluded last year that an average daily red meat intake of up to 70g a day was safe for adults.

Average intakes in the UK are already below this level, suggesting that, for most people, red meat consumption does not need to be reduced.

Nick Allen, EBLEX sector director, said: “It should also be noted that the study was carried out in the US, where meat consumption per capita is higher than in the UK. The majority of the UK population does not consume more than the recommended daily amount of 70g per day.

“What is more concerning than the study itself is the continued willingness of the media to publish over-simplistic, misleading stories without any real understanding of the statistics involved, and with a sensational headline not borne out by the content of the story.

“The UK has a thriving red meat industry which makes a huge contribution to the economy, however the continual drip-drip effect of stories risk turning consumers off to the benefits of eating home-produced red meat.“

The Meat Advisory Panel is a group of healthcare professionals, scientists and researchers who provide information about red meat and its role as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

The group acts independently but is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from EBLEX and BPEX.