TORONTO — Ditch the deli meat and reach for the pork chops.
According to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, red meat
might not be as bad for us as we’ve been led to believe — but only if it has not
been smoked, cured or otherwise preserved.
The study found that, on average, each 50-gram daily serving of processed meat
is associated with a 42 per cent higher risk of developing heart disease and a
19 per cent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
But eating unprocessed red meat like steak and pork chops was not associated
with an increased risk of developing these diseases.
"Based on these findings, people should avoid eating too much processed meats,
such as bacon, sausages, salami, deli meats," said lead researcher Renata Micha,
a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The study, released Monday on the website of the journal Circulation, looked at
20 relevant studies involving more than one million adults from 10 countries.
Each week, the average American eats five 50-gram servings of processed meats.
(A 50-gram serving is equivalent to one or two slices of deli meat or one hot
dog.)
Micha said these products are likely a heart disease and diabetes hazard not
because of their saturated fat and cholesterol content, which was similar to
unprocessed red meat, but because they contain four times more sodium and 50 per
cent more nitrate preservatives.
Peter Liu, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and a
cardiologist at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, lauded the findings. "What they
have found is that not all meats are created equal," he said.
"I think now, particularly with more concern about obesity in the population,
and the high salt content in our food . . . that one may actually want to make a
distinction between the food that is ‘natural’ versus food that has been
processed," Liu said.
Liu said the food industry has been trying to reduce sodium, trans fats and
preservatives in their products, but that meat companies may be encouraged to
cut the amount of preservatives in processed meat further — essentially
shortening a product’s shelf life in order to make it healthier.
The study supports advice given by dietitians and Health Canada, who say
luncheon meats, processed meats and sausages add sodium to the diet and should
be consumed in moderation.
Canada’s Food Guide recommends two servings of meat or meat alternatives a day
for women and three for men. But, as dietitian Carol Harrison points out, the
recommended serving size for meat is small: 75 grams, or about the size of two
lipsticks.
Processed meats should be avoided, Harrison says. "Or, when you have them, make
it a treat and have it few and far between."
Micha stressed that in past research, meat consumption has been associated with
an increased risk for some cancers, and that unprocessed red meat has not yet
been independently evaluated for cancer risk.
"People should not use these findings as licence to eat as much unprocessed red
meat as they like," she said, but should instead eat more fruit, vegetables,
whole grains, fish and nuts.
Source : The Halifax Herald
