The study by Dr Renata Micha published in Circulation (the journal of the American Heart Association) on 17 May 2010, showed that eating 50g (equal to a sausage, hamburger or two slices of processed meat) was associated with a 42% higher risk of CHD (coronary heart disease) and 19% increased risk of diabetes. The red unprocessed meat showed no association with CHD or diabetes.
The fresh and processed meats had similar amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol but processed meat has four times the sodium and 50% more preservatives (nitrates). These are thought to be the cause of the higher CHD and diabetes risks. Fresh meat did not show a reduced risk.
Comment:
The method is interesting. The Authors combined 20 studies including 1 million adults in 10 countries and contacted all the authors to separate out unprocessed and fresh meats. The fresh red meat intake was defined as 100g per day of unprocessed beef, pork, or lamb and was not associated with CHD (four studies) or diabetes (five studies).
Processed meats such as sausage, bacon and salami are preserved, smoked, cured or salted were set at 50 grams per day.
The conclusions are clear. Avoid processed meats but, if you enjoy red meat you are safer than we thought. Our suggestion is to select grass-fed, high-quality lean red meats and enjoy them in small amounts without any guilt. If you are told to stop red meat, ask if the evidence comes from a study that separates the negative effects of processed meats from the fresh red meat.