Is Red Meat a Killer ?

This past February, Linda and I were having dinner, in Scottsdale, with a rancher friend from Montana.  Clayton indicated that the ranching business was spectacular at this point.  His stock was selling at record highs.  Of course he was very pleased with the cattle industry this past year and his profit. Clayton would likely say “baloney “about the following study.

Recently, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health followed more than 121,000 men and women over a period of 24 years.  These men and women, every four years, submitted information about their diets to the researchers.  Unfortunately over the 24 years, almost 24,000 of these people died.  The death rates of those who ate the most red meat were higher than among those that ate less red meat.

These researchers issued a warning.  According to them, an extra daily serving of unprocessed red meat (steak, hamburger, pork etc.) increased the risk of dying prematurely by 13%.  However, processed meat (hot dogs, sausage, bacon, etc.) increased the risk by 20%.  Before jumping to conclusions, let us take a look at the absolute risk for unprocessed red meat on deaths per 1,000 people per year.  For women only, one serving of unprocessed meat a week equaled 7.0 deaths, while two servings of unprocessed meat a day equaled 8.5.    Which number do you like best?

These researchers suggested that the increased risk from red meat may come from saturated fat, cholesterol, iron and potentially cancer-causing compounds generated when cooking red meat at high temperatures.   Another factor could be sodium found in processed foods.

 Are you like Clayton and was this information a problem for you?   Are you still going to get a hot dog or Polish sausage when attending a baseball game or football game?  Remember the song “take me out to the ballgame and buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack? “ What a dilemma, it might be difficult to eat healthy foods at America’s past time or attending popular sporting events.  Wait a minute; you can always buy beer which, according to an unnamed source, is good for you.  Just Ask Secretariat and he will say “drink in moderation. “ However, sometimes, the number of beers varies as does, his definition of moderation.

For me, I like a hot dog and hamburger every once in a while.  My definition of, every once in a while, can change.  For instance, when at a ballgame I make sure to get a Polish dog.  It is too bad, that I cannot have two other persons like me that I could compare with eating a hot dog and hamburger once in a while to eliminating a hot dog and hamburger’s from my diet. 

Scientifically, the best healthy diet, hands down, is either the Mediterranean or a vegan.  Truthfully, the Mediterranean diet would be easier to follow since a small amount of red meat is allowed. I do not think I could become a vegan because every time I return to Detroit, and I mean every time, I go to one of the delis-maybe Steve’s and get either a corn beef or pastrami sandwich.  I must confess that I miss that Deli from Detroit.