DR. WALKER

CODE RED ON RED MEAT – Why you should Avoid that Pound of Flesh

The general consensus is that a dead enemy can cause no harm, and rightly so. But what about one that becomes an enemy only after it is dead?

Red meat, undoubtedly, is one of the most nutritious foods available to us. In fact, a meager 100g consumption will sort averagely 20% of your daily needs for important nutrients such as vitamins B3, B6 and B12, and minerals like Iron and Selenium. Not to mention the 20g of complete protein with a high-quality score it will add to the plate. This being said, there are some significant points of contention.

Many scientists believe that your piece of cow may actually be the proverbial “Trojan Horse”. Most of these studies distinguish red meat from white meat which mainly come from poultry and organically raised animals. The studies normally focus on processed and unprocessed meat from conventionally raised grain-fed ruminants that are considered to pose the biggest threat. So, let us take a look at the issues.

Since 1982, the EU has prohibited the use of hormones for growth promotion in farm animals, and hence has banned imports of meat products containing such hormones.¹ They cite harmful activity in humans and conclude that “no acceptable daily intake (ADI) could be established” for the 6 main hormones used in farming practices. The US FDA, however, insists that there is enough research to prove that these hormones are safe and so allow them for use. European scientists particularly point to the hormone, estradiol 17β, as carcinogenic whilst other studies link consumption of such meat to early onset of puberty in girls and development of breasts in boys (gynecomastia). Another study associates consumption of processed red meat to lower total sperm count in men.²

These hormones are added so that the 2-3yr maturity period in commercial cattle, for example, are cut down by almost half. Therefore, one can imagine the source of funding for research that backs their use. Even away from speculations, scientists in the US and the EU continue to disagree on this issue, and the two trade bodies continue to be at loggerheads over it as well.

A less controversial issue is the association of consumption of red meat and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC happens to be the 3rd most popular cancer type in men, and 2nd in women. One peer review ³ points out that the exact mechanism is uncertain but is emphatic that there is 20-30% increased risk due to high consumption of red meat. Another research concludes that high red meat intake increases risk for all cancers.

You may excuse unprocessed meat for this one, because research rather links processed red meat to a high risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This review ⁴ by Bronzato and Durante in 2017 concludes that it is the visible fat and additives added during processing that triggers CVDs. It is important to note that fatty unprocessed meat does not get a pass. It is widely known in the scientific community that the most dangerous fat to consume come from muscled animals.

Then again, both are partners in crime again when it comes to sitting in your gut for too long. Meat is composed of proteins and fat in crazy complexes that takes a long time for your gut to pull apart. In context, it takes about twice the amount of energy to digest a 100g piece of meat than it would, a full plate of rice. It will also take more than twice the time for your piece of meat to move through the small intestines, with scientists estimating up to a 72-hour period or even more. This is not good news as the good microbiota that sits in your gut prefer to eat fiber, and not protein. The over-stay of proteins causes them to produce “deleterious protein-derived metabolites” as the Journal of Nature Microbiology will call it.⁶

In conclusion, red meat, whether processed or unprocessed should trigger a red light for you. As Dr. Frank Hu (Chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) puts it, “you can get same amount of protein – and in some cases, even more…”⁵ from other sources such as fish and nuts. And regarding the concept of eating meat in order to have enough protein for building muscle, remember that a gorilla’s strength is about 10 times that of their body weight. Relative to their size and strength a gorilla, pound for pound is amongst the strongest animals on earth. Not bad for a vegetarian.