Study Ties Red Meat to a Higher Risk of Death From CVD and C

For the study, Harvard researchers delved into the diets of more than 120,000 men and women who are taking part in the long-running Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study.

Every four years, people in the study were asked detailed questions about their eating habits. They were also asked about other health determinants like smoking and drinking, exercise, and body weight.

Men were in their early 50s, on average, when the study started. Women were in their mid-40s.

During the next 20 years, researchers found that people who ate the most red meat were more likely to die, and die of cancer or heart disease, compared to people who reported eating the fewest daily servings of beef, pork, and lamb.

Researchers estimate that a single daily 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat, which is about the size of a deck of playing cards, raises the risk of dying of heart disease by about 18% and raises the risk of dying of cancer by 10%.

Processed meats appear to be even more hazardous. A single daily serving of processed meats like bacon (two slices), sausage, or hot dogs (1 piece), raised the risk of dying of heart disease by 21% and dying of cancer by 16%.