Eat Less Red Meat To Prevent Heart Disease And Stroke!

People have been told not to consume too much red meat like beef, lamb and pork as it is bad for the health. Such claim is backed by many studies done in the past.

In 2011, a study by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Cleveland Clinic reported that frequent consumption of red meat appears to raise the risk of stroke significantly, while choosing to eat poultry and other proteins like fish or nuts, lowers the risk. Their findings were published online December 29, 2011 in journal ‘Stroke’. Men who ate more than 2 red meat servings daily had a 28 percent higher stroke risk than those who ate about one-third of a serving each day. People who ate the most chicken or turkey each day had a 13 percent reduced stroke risk than those who ate about 1 daily serving of red meat. The investigators also found that substituting other proteins, such as nuts or fish, for one daily serving of red meat reduced stroke risk.

A meta-analysis, which was published online September 24, 2012 also in journal ‘Stroke’, by researchers from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland, found that eating red meat including beef, pork, lamb, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and bacon may increase the risk of total stroke and ischemic stroke but not hemorrhagic stroke. Their analysis showed that every one-serving-per-day increase in fresh, processed, and total red meat intake was linked to an 11 percent to 13 percent relative increase in the risk of all strokes, driven by a raise in the risk of ischemic stroke.

Recent report published May 9, 2017 in BMJ journal pointed out that higher consumption of red meat may raise the risk of dying from various diseases that include cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, infections, kidney disease and liver disease. The diet and health of 536,969 men and women aged between 50 and 71 were studied for an average of 16 years. Compared with the one-fifth of people who ate the least red meat, the one-fifth who ate the most had a 26 percent increased risk of death from various causes. On the other hand, those who ate the highest proportion of white meat had a 25 percent reduced risk of dying from various causes compared with those who ate the least white meat.

There are several possible mechanisms to explain the findings. First of all, red meat is rich in saturated fat. Consumption of high levels of saturated fats could lead to a greater risk of stroke from higher levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Secondly, red meat also contains heme iron, and high doses of iron may lead to oxidative stress, a state with increased peroxidation of lipids, protein modification, and DNA damage. Oxidative stress induced by iron, if continued for a long time, may lead to development of many diseases, including heart disease, stroke, Type-2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, neurological disorders, and chronic inflammation.

Finally, processed red meat contains sodium and nitrite preservatives that may also increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other diseases.

What Foods Diabetics Should Avoid?

Diet plays an important role for diabetics in managing their conditions. Whether one likes it or not, consumption of certain foods should be minimized or even avoided.

White rice, for instance, has been an inseparable part of daily diet for most people of Asian origin. But for Type-2 diabetics, white rice consumption should be reduced. This is because researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that people had higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes if they ate 5 or more servings of white rice a week. On the other hand, people who substituted at least a third of their white-rice servings with brown rice had their risk cut by as much as 16 percent. Comparing with white rice, brown rice has more fiber that can help maintain blood sugar levels stable.

Likewise, white bread should be replaced by whole meal bread. White rice is made of refined flour that can be quickly digested by body. The quick digestion can cause the blood sugar to rise. Studies have shown that people who eat more whole grains and fewer refined grains including white bread have less of the type of body fat that can trigger heart disease and Type-2 diabetes.

Though cutting red meat from the diet entirely is unnecessary, eating lots of red and processed meats like bacon and cold cuts, all high in saturated fat, could most likely lead to development of Type-2 diabetes. A large study reported that people who ate processed meat (a hot dog or sausage or 2 slices of bacon) once a day had their risk of getting diabetes more than doubled. The risk can simply be lower by substituting one serving of red and processed meats with healthier sources of protein like nuts and low-fat dairy products.

Nevertheless, one should note that too much protein can raise the insulin, too. Protein can help lose weight and is essential to a healthy blood sugar level, as long as one does not over consume protein powders and eating animal proteins. Most people only need 0.5 grams to 1 gram of protein per body weight per day and those amounts should be split up into multiple servings, and not consumed at one time.

Saturated fats, the prime culprit for heart disease, can be found not only in red meat and butter but also whole-milk dairy products. In several studies, a diet high in saturated fats has been linked to insulin resistance. Switching to no-fat or 1-percent dairy products can get all the benefits of calcium without the drawbacks and reduce calories to help with weight loss.

Caffeine is another one that can increase insulin if excess amount is consumed. Drinking a cup or 2 of coffee a day might be good for the insulin, but more than that can cause the insulin to shoot up. When the insulin surges, one can feel moody, shaky, irritable and craving sweets. This will in turn cause one to reach for more caffeine or more sugar. 

Eating Hot Dogs Might Raise Heart Disease Risk!

Previous studies have linked both processed meat and red meat to a higher risk of heart disease and cancer, which are the top 2 killers of people in most developed countries.

A study that was published online June 12, 2014 in ‘Circulation: Heart Failure’ again showed that men who ate the most processed red meat had a 28 percent higher risk of heart failure and twice the risk of dying over a 12-year period compared to men who ate the least. The highest intake in this case was equivalent to a 75-gram jumbo frank. 

Heart failure is one of the most common, costly and deadly cardiac conditions. More than 800,000 new cases will occur in the United States in 2014 and about 50 percent of those diagnosed will die within 5 years, according to the American Heart Association.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden studied 37,035 men aged between 45 and 79 years old who had no history of heart failure, heart disease or cancer at the start. All participants were participating in the Cohort of Swedish Men study.

Questionnaires on what they ate and how often were distributed to the participants to answer. Processed meat questions dealt with consumption of sausages, cold cuts (ham/salami) and liver pate, and the unprocessed meat questions covered pork and beef/veal, including hamburger or ground-minced meat.

Processed red meats that are preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives contain salt, nitrates, phosphates and other food additives. Smoked and grilled meats also contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which could damage DNA and cause both heart disease and cancer. On the other hand, unprocessed meat is free from food additives and usually has a lower amount of salt.

Then, the men were followed from 1998 until they were diagnosed with heart failure or died, or until the study’s ended in 2010. Overall, nearly 2,900 men were diagnosed with heart failure and 266 died from the condition.

It was also found that the risk associated with heart failure seemed to rise 8 percent for every 1.7 ounces (about 50 grams) of processed red meat eaten daily, while the risk of dying from heart failure increased 38 percent for each increase. Unprocessed red meat such as steaks and burgers did not raise the risk.

While the study covered only men, the researchers expected to find similar results in a study of women.

Based on the findings, the researchers recommend not eating processed red meat at all and having only 1 to 2 servings or less of unprocessed red meat a week.

In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) both urge people to limit red meat. The United States government also advises people to eat a plant-based diet and keep meat portions small. The AHA recommends eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts, and limiting red meat and sugary foods and drinks.

Avoid Processed Meat To Prevent Heart Disease!

Bacon, sausage, hot dog and some other processed meat have already become an integrated part of many meat lovers’ diets. But many are probably not aware that eating too much of these would raise their chances of developing diabetes and heart disease.

In a paper published on May 17, 2010 in the journal ‘Circulation’, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health reported that eating unprocessed beef, pork or lamb did not seem to raise risks of heart attack and diabetes. Therefore, salt and chemical preservatives are the real culprits responsible for these 2 health disorders.

Many past studies examining the relationship between eating meat and cardiovascular disease and diabetes had found mixed results, and few had looked at the differences in risk between processed and unprocessed red meat.

To get evidence of a link between eating processed and unprocessed red meat and the risk of diabetes and heart disease, a systemic review of nearly 1,600 studies from around the world were carried out.

Processed meat was defined in the study as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives. Good examples of processed meat included bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli or luncheon meats. On the other hand, unprocessed red meat included beef, lamb or pork but not poultry.

The findings showed that on average, every 50 grams serving of processed meat a day (equivalent to 1 or 2 slices of deli meats or 1 hot dog) was associated with a 19 percent higher risk of developing diabetes and 42 percent higher risk of heart disease. Meanwhile, they found no higher risk of diabetes or heart disease in people eating only unprocessed red meats.

Hence, they urged people to eat less (1 serving or less per week) processed meats such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats in order to lower the risk of diabetes and heart attack.

As expected, the American Meat Institute objected to the findings quoting that it was only one study that was different from other studies and the United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Hence, there is no reason for dietary changes unless further studies could justify so.

Is Risk of Death Raised by Eating More Red Meat?

Is eating red meat bad for health? This highly controversial question has been debated between various groups of people for years.

Eating too much meat would probably cause people to put on weight. Being overweight or obese, one will have a much higher chance of getting many medical complications like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and even certain types of cancer.

In order to find out answer pertaining to this question, the National Cancer Institute in United States carried out one of the largest study.

The researchers reported that people who eat the most red meat as well as processed meat have the highest overall risk of death from all causes, including heart disease and cancer. Their findings appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine on March 23, 2009.

More than 500,000 people aged between 50 and 71 were involved in the study. They filled out questionnaires on their diet and other health habits. Their records were later examined by the researchers.

It was found that people who ate meat heavily were more likely to die over the next 10 years than those who ate the least amount of meat, even when other factors such as eating fresh fruits and vegetables, exercise, obesity and smoking were accounted for.

The researchers found that the consumption of red and processed meat were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular mortality.

The volunteers participated in the study were divided into 5 groups, called quintiles. There were 47,976 men and 23,276 women died during the period between 1995 and 2005.

People in the quintile that ate the most red meat had a higher risk for overall death, death from heart disease and cancer than the men and women who ate the least red meat.

If people could eat less meat, thousands of deaths could just be prevented. For overall mortality, 11 percent of deaths in men and 16 percent of deaths in women could be prevented should people reduced their red meat intake to the level in the first quintile.