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Eating meat may help your health…if you don't overindulge.
RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—In the past year, eating meat—especially red meat and processed meat—has been linked to lung cancer, vision loss, and even shorter lives. But a new study, published in the journal Gerontology finds that eating red meat during middle age may have protective benefits for your ability to perform normal daily activities as you age. And while it's not a game changer that will lead health experts to recommend a daily New York strip steak, the study does suggest that eating meat has an upside.
THE DETAILS: Researchers surveyed 3,227 Japanese adults who were between the ages of 47 to 59 in 1980. At that point, they took blood samples, which were measured for cholesterol levels, and asked the participants to fill out questionnaires based on what they eat, specifically asking about consumption of eggs, fish, and meat. Those people were followed for 19 years, at the end of which 2,514 were still living. They were interviewed again and asked about their abilities to perform various "activities of daily life"—feeding, dressing, bathing, toileting, and walking—and whether they could perform those without help, with partial help, or only with full help. The researchers found that a higher intake of meat (more than once every two days) led to a statistically significant decrease in the likelihood that those participants would need help with daily activities. They found no association between intake of fish or eggs and the ability to perform activities of daily life.
People eating less than the
People eating less than the average amount should not reduce their consumption because they may not get enough iron and other nutrients. Guy Riordan
Useless information
The study was performed in Japan and they were only concerned with the eating meat portion of the diet. This is so vague and incomplete of a study, why waste the effort to report any findings to only come to the conclusion that it is incomplete.
Why not completely monitor all the food that was consumed. Last time I checked, my body is a product of everything I subject it to.
Also, what type of meats were they eating and how many grams/ounces. As stated, this data is inconclusive.
Last I heard, our digestive system is in the same proportions as a chimpanzee as well as our teeth structure which are true signs that our diet should be like theirs. 3% meat, lots of vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts.
Genetically Modified Grain
Cattle that are raised in commercial feed lots are fed corn. Cattle are not designed to eat corn. Cows are supposed to eat grass. They sould be allowed to walk around the pasture and eat grass. That's the bigggest part of the problem with commercially produced beef.
Red meat and GMO's
I don't get how raising conventional red meat "requires" using genetically modified grains. Are you saying that there is a law that says cattle raisers must either use GMO's or be completely organic? How about using regular grains, but just not necessarily growing the grain fully organically?
I'm not surprised to learn that there are benefits to eating moderate amounts of red meat. Human beings are omnivores, after all. You will be healthy if you eat moderate amounts of any food. Variety is what is important to health.
GMO crop and bee loss
I wonder if there is an unexplored connection between the loss of honeybee colonies and the advent of genetically modified crops? It seems to me the losses began around the same time the crops were being promoted and in the same areas in which the crops were first grown. I understand that other insects have been affected by these crops in ways not intended by the makers of GMOs.
GMO's (re: "genetically modified grains")
I am wondering if you have legitimate, scientific references that support your comment genetically modified grains are "crops that reduce biodiversity and have unknown health impacts" in your article titled "Rare Good News for Red Meat-Eaters". I know of no legitimate references that support genetically modified crops reducing biodiversity. In addition, there are many foods that we eat that have "unknown health impacts". So why specifically make this statement for the GMO's?