Red meat consumption is often advised against due to the association with increased mortality. The negative effect of processed meat consumption has been extensively established, but the effect of unprocessed red meat is not clear. Red meat consumption was assessed through a self-administered questionnaire in a cohort of 74,645 Swedish men and women. During a 15-year follow up, differences in survival according to levels of total red meat and combined levels of processed and unprocessed red meat consumption were assessed. Results showed that high total red meat consumption was associated with shorter survival, but this was mostly due to consumption of processed red meat. Consumption of unprocessed red meat alone was not associated with shorter survival. Recommendations for red meat consumption should clarify that there are differences between processed and unprocessed red meat.

Generational shift in parental perceptions of overweight among school-aged children 

The ability of parents to correctly see their children as being overweight has changed over time. Parents were asked whether they considered their children, ages 6 to 11 years, to be overweight, underweight, or just about the right weight, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 growth chart as a reference. Data was compared from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1988-1994 (n=2871) and 2005-2010 (n=3202) surveys. Parents interviewed between 2005 and 2010 were nearly one quarter (24 percent) less likely to identify a weight problem in their children than parents who were interviewed between 1988 and 1994. This decline in the tendency for parents to perceive children with excess body weight appropriately suggests that there is a generational shift in social norms related to body weight.