High consumption of red meat is associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease and cancer

This study was published in Public Health Nutrition 1999 Dec;2(4):477-87

 

Study title and authors:

Dietary questions as determinants of mortality: the OXCHECK experience.

Whiteman D, Muir J, Jones L, Murphy M, Key T.

ICRF General Practice Research Group, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford, UK. david.whiteman@dphpc.ox.ac.uk

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10656467

The study compared various types of food intake with specific causes of death. The study included 11,090 men and women aged 35-64 years who were followed for nine years.

Regarding red meat consumption, the study found:
(a) Those who consumed the most red meat had a 29% lower death rate compared to those who consumed the least red meat.
(b) Those who consumed the most red meat had a 45% reduced risk of death from heart disease compared to those who consumed the least red meat.
(c) Those who consumed the most red meat had a 12% reduced risk of death from cancer compared to those who consumed the least red meat.

The results of the study show a high consumption of red meat is associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease and cancer.