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Do you have to choose between meat and heart health? Maybe not
Of all the types of meat you can eat, processed meat is probably the worst. Researchers have connected processed meat consumption with high blood pressure and atherosclerosis, as well as early death from heart disease.
Now, a long-term study has strengthened the link between regular consumption of processed meat and heart disease risk, while letting unprocessed red meats and poultry somewhat off the hook…
Regular eating of processed meat carries big cardiovascular risks
A global study, the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, which followed participants for almost a decade, found that eating processed meat weekly was associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The study did not find the same link between consumption of unprocessed red meat or poultry.
The researchers tracked the diets and health outcomes of 134,297 people from 21 countries spanning five continents to examine meat consumption and cardiovascular illnesses. After following them for almost 10 years, the researchers discovered that consumption of 150 grams or more of processed meat every week raised the risk of cardiovascular disease by a whopping 46 percent and the risk of death by 51 percent compared with those who did not eat processed meat.
To give you an idea of how much processed meat that is, 150 grams is roughly equal to two jumbo-sized hot dogs, or two Italian sausages, or 19 slices of regular bacon, or seven slices of deli meat.
By contrast, the PURE study found moderate consumption of non-processed meats had a neutral effect on health.
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“Evidence of an association between meat intake and cardiovascular disease is inconsistent,” says Romaina Iqbal, first author of the study and an associate professor at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. “We therefore wanted to better understand the associations between intakes of unprocessed red meat, poultry and processed meat with major cardiovascular disease events and mortality.”
Launched in 2003, the PURE study is the first multinational study to provide information on how eating unprocessed and processed meat affects health outcomes among people from low-, middle-, and high-income countries.
“The PURE study examines substantially more diverse populations and broad patterns of diet, enabling us to provide new evidence that distinguishes between the effects of processed and unprocessed meats,” says senior author Salim Yusuf, executive director of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.
The study authors note that more research could improve the existing understanding of the relationship between meat consumption and health outcomes. For instance, it isn’t clear what study participants who ate less meat were consuming instead, or whether the quality of those foods differed across countries. Also, non-meat food substitutes could have implications in further interpretation of the connections between meat consumption and health outcomes.
Nonetheless, the researchers believe their findings “indicate that limiting the intake of processed meat should be encouraged.”
What to eat instead of processed meat
In our fast-paced, time-crunched society, it can be difficult to avoid processed meat and other processed foods. But there are ways to find healthier alternatives to some processed meats. For example, if you have your heart set on a sandwich for lunch, try one with a filling made from whole beef, chicken or turkey instead of processed deli meat.
If you absolutely must have that hot dog, salami, bacon, Italian sausage, or deli sandwich, make sure you make it an occasional treat instead of a weekly (or daily) indulgence. Better yet, try to find varieties of processed meat that are minimally processed, lower in sodium and made without preservatives or artificial ingredients, like Nathan’s All-Natural Uncured Beef Franks.
While this study gave somewhat of a green light to unprocessed red meat, it’s still best not to eat it too often. If you are going to have red meat, try to pick grass-fed, hormone-free beef with as little processing as possible. And keep your portion down to the size of a deck of cards.
Editor’s note: There are perfectly safe and natural ways to decrease your risk of blood clots including the 25-cent vitamin, the nutrient that acts as a natural blood thinner and the powerful herb that helps clear plaque. To discover these and other secrets of long-lived hearts, click here for Hushed Up Natural Heart Cures and Common Misconceptions of Popular Heart Treatments!
Sources:
Worldwide study ratifies link of processed meat to cardiovascular disease and death — McMaster University
Eating processed meats, but not unprocessed red meats, may raise risk of heart disease and diabetes — Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Processed Meat Intake and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease among Middle-aged Women — EClinicalMedicine
By Carolyn Gretton
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