Jeannie Varney
Nutrition Consultant
HC, AADP
703.505.0505
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Greetings!
At last, summer has arrived. With the longer, warmer days, many of us will be spending more time outdoors and barbecuing often. When grilling, we frequently choose hamburgers, hot dogs and steaks, which naturally heightens our focus on the health risks associated with red meat. Research performed over several decades and on hundreds of thousands of participants suggests that increased red meat consumption leads to an increased risk of chronic disease. That said, we can reduce much of the risk by limiting our intake to a moderate amount and choosing healthier cooking methods. Below I've laid out the negative effects of eating too much red meat and offered suggestions on how much is safe to consume and how to prepare your favorite meat dish.
Happy Summer!
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Red Meat: Healthy or Harmful?
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For health reasons, we've been advised to reduce our consumption of red meat (beef, pork and lamb) and to avoid processed meat such as bacon, hot dogs, ham, sausage, salami and cold cuts all together. Here's why: 
Live Longer: Two large studies1,2 in the past 5 years strongly suggest that eating just 5-6oz a day (2 servings worth) of red meat significantly increases your risk of premature death by 30%. Scientists from both Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the NIH-AARP Health Study observed these results after following more than 120,000 participants for 28 years and 500,000 individuals for 10 years respectively. Adam Bernstein, research director at the Cleveland Clinic, estimates that 8% of deaths in women and 10% of deaths in men could be prevented if people consumed less that half a serving* a day of red meat.
Help Your Heart: Based on their research in the Nurses' Health Study3 that spanned 26 years and more than 84,000 participants, Walter Willett from the HSPH and Adam Bernstein from the Cleveland Clinic observed that those individuals that ate the most red meat - at least 2 servings a day - compared to those that ate the least - less then ½ a serving a day - had a 29% higher risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, switching to a low-fat or leaner cut of red meat didn't eliminate the risk. Continued research suggests meat's negative health effects on plaque and cholesterol levels may not be exclusively from the higher amounts of saturated fat red meat contains but also from the heme iron, salt, nitrates, byproducts of meat when cooked at high temperatures and a host of other compounds and nutrients such as carnitine, choline and lecithin.
Cut Your Risk of Cancer: According to the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, the risk of colon and rectal cancer rises by 20% for every serving of red or processed meat one eats per day.4 The culprits: carcinogenic compounds such as N-nitroso that are created by nitrites that are added to processed meat and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that form when meats are cooked well done or at high temperatures as when grilling. Additional studies show that colorectal cancer is higher in individuals that eat more red meat than white meat. Experts believe the higher concentrations of heme iron in beef, pork and lamb may be responsible.
 Safeguard Yourself Against A Stroke: After following more than 125,000 individuals for 22 years, Bernstein and Willett believe there are healthier choices of protein than red meat. Their study revealed people who ate 1oz-2oz of processed meat daily increased their risk of non-hemorrhage stroke by 30%. Individuals who consumed 4oz-6oz of unprocessed meat increased their risk by 21%. Bernstein and Willett's study estimated that by replacing a daily serving of red meat with chicken, one could reduce their risk of stroke by 27%.
Defend Yourself Against Diabetes: For some time, research has suggested a link between processed meat consumption and an increased risk of Type II diabetes but now a similar link appears to exist with red meat consumption. For example, Harvard research suggests one's risk of type II diabetes increases by 32% for every 2oz of processed meat consumed daily and 12% for every 3oz of cooked, unprocessed meat. While still unsure why, scientists think that the increased amounts of heme iron, N-nitroso compounds, saturated fats and carnitine metabolites found in these meats are damaging to our insulin producing cells.
Is it necessary to give up red meat completely? I don't think so. Beef, Pork and lamb can be a healthy and much enjoyed part of your diet. Simply follow the tips/guidelines below to ensure your meat consumption is healthful not harmful to your well-being.
- Eliminate the majority of the risk stated above, by limiting your red meat consumption to 8oz - 12oz a week, if at all and avoid
 processed meat completely. - Choose leaner cuts of beef such as flank, extra lean ground or tenderloin.
- Buy beef and lamb that is 100% grass-fed.
- Follow the healthy grilling tips below when barbecuing.
- Replace red meat with beans, lentils, fish, eggs, pasture raised poultry, tempeh, tofu, or nuts when possible.
- Avoid taking choline, carnitine, or lecithin supplements unless advised by your doctor.
*A serving is equivalent to:
- 3oz cooked of hamburger, steak, or chops
- 1oz cooked of processed meat such as sausage, ham, hot dogs or other processed meat
- 1oz of bacon
**Typical servings:
- Panera's Smoked Ham and Swiss Sandwich - 4 servings
- A 14oz (12oz cooked) steak - 4 servings
- Five Guys Bacon Burger - 2.3 servings
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- Arch. Intern. Med. 172:555, 2012.
- Arch. Intern. Med. 169: 562, 2009.
- Circulation 122: 876, 2010.
- www.dietandcancerreport.org/cup/current_progress/colorectal_cancer.php.
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You can't remove the heme iron from meat, but you can minimize the HCAs in cooked meat, poultry and fish by practicing the Center for Science of Public Interest's "Good Grilling" tips below:
Marinate: Marinating red meat, poultry and fish for any amount of time and pouring off the marinade reduces  HCAs and PAHs.
Microwave Before Cooking: Microwaving your meat or poultry before grilling for just 90 seconds and throwing away the juices eliminates 90% of the HCAs.
Eat Seafood: Uncharred, grilled seafood contains fewer HCAs than grilled meat or poultry.
Keep It Moist: The more well done meat is cooked, the more HCAs it contains.
Flip Frequently: Turning meat every minute keeps the surface temperature lower and reduces HCAs by as much as 75-90%.
Don't Eat the Pan Drippings: Pan drippings from meat and poultry that are well done, contain more HCAs than the meat itself.
Try an alternative cooking method: While grilling, broiling and pan-frying at high temperatures creates the most HCAs, baking, roasting and stir-frying creates the least. Boiling, steaming, stewing or microwaving generates none.
Eat Your Veggies: Veggie burgers and grilled vegetables contain few, if any, HCAs. Even better, cruciferous veggies like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts may actually help the liver detoxify HCAs.
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Jean Varney is the founder and president of Eat Right, Be Fit, Live Well LLC, a health and nutrition consulting firm committed to  empowering men and women to improve their health through sustainable changes to their diet and lifestyle. Based in the Washington DC metropolitan area, Jean coaches clients nationwide by phone and in person. She focuses on helping individuals make smart choices about the foods they eat in order to maintain high energy levels, avoid unwanted weight gain and decrease their risk of heart disease, cancer, type II diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Jean received her training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. To learn more about her practice, please visit her website at: www.EatRightBeFitLiveWell.com. |
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