Disclaimer that this will NOT answer all your questions with indisputable fact because the science hasn’t gotten that far (yet) but let’s dive into this controversial topic: is red meat good or bad for your health? What does the data say and what can we do to stay healthy?
Before we get into it, I should remind everyone that I’m (mostly) plant-based.
Gasp!
I know, I never saw it coming either. I love meat. Used to eat it every day. I thought think vegans were hippies… plant-obsessed pagans who cast spells with wiccan crystals.
The joys of ignorance.
But now that I’m a pagan myself, why am I writing this post? Will it be a big rant about how meat is awful and no one should eat it? Will I advocate for precious animal life and tell you you’re destroying the earth with your carnivorous ways?
Ehhh.
I don’t like to push specific diets on people. I’m a scientist. I present data and let you do with it what you will.
The thing is, people eat meat and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. As such, they deserve to understand what they’re eating. The big corporations sure aren’t disclosing the information.
And no, I don’t think you’re destroying the earth. What happens in meat-packing plants is awful and the strain on natural resources is disgusting. But none of us voted for that way of business. That’s on the meat industry.
What I’ll be talking about is facts. The good and the ugly. Then I’ll explain why I’m plant-based, which frankly has nothing to do with politics.
What’s in Red Meat?
The category “red meat” includes beef, pork, lamb, venison, veal, mutton, horse, and goat.
Contents include:
- Protein
- Vitamins and minerals, including heme iron
- Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids → although a healthier ratio in grass fed animals (in grain fed animals, omega-6 is really high)
- Vitamin B12 → note that grass fed animals have more vitamin B12 than grain fed animals
- Saturated fats → as discussed in this post (link), these aren’t necessarily bad for us but we should still limit consumption
- Cholesterol → too much can be a precursor for diabetes
- Antibiotics and hormones
- Heat-induced mutagenic compounds
- Carnitine
Look. It would be easy for me to say “meat is bad, stop eating it”. But it’s not that simple (hence the torrent of scientific information below).
Red meat, cooked properly and acquired from happy healthy animals in the wild… is good. But that’s not the kind of meat people are eating, is it?
Livestock in meatpacking plants aren’t allowed to roam and graze. They cram together in tight spaces so there’s lots of bacteria going around and they mostly live off grains. They’re also pumped with antibiotics and hormones.
Not-So-Fun Fact: around 80% of antibiotics in the US go to livestock, potentially increasing bacteria drug resistance and possible emergence of “superbugs”, deadly bacteria resistant to our medicines. Yay!
The Obvious Disclaimer
Before we get into the scientific jargon, let’s state the obvious. Too much of anything is a bad thing.
Considering the contents list above, too much meat will obviously result in high cholesterol, saturated fat, heme iron, and sodium.
It’s all about balance.
If you remember anything from this post, let it be that.
The Data: Is Red Meat Good or Bad for Your Health
Processed vs Unprocessed Meat
We can’t talk about red meat in regards to your health without addressing two distinct categories: processed vs unprocessed.
Plain and simple, processed meat causes the majority of problems. This includes bacon, ham, lunch meat, hot dogs, sausages, cured meat, canned meat, and dried meat.
In my Macronutrients post, I talk about a study which found a link between red meat consumption and cardiovascular disease, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer.
As the research progressed, studies became more sophisticated. Meat consumption split into processed and unprocessed meat, which yielded clearer results.
As this meta-analysis and this EPIC study portray, consumption of unprocessed, lean red meat has little to no association with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer. Processed meat, on the other hand, showed a significant association with the aforementioned diseases.
In fact, the meta-analysis showed that processed meat was linked to a 42% higher risk of coronary heart disease and 19% higher risk of diabetes, compared to unprocessed meat.
Those are big numbers.
This article, with similar findings, states that the link between processed meat and poor cardiometabolic outcomes may be linked to the higher content of cholesterol, heme iron, and especially sodium. That makes sense, given the fact that processed meat is 400% higher in sodium than unprocessed meat.
That’s a lot of sodium.
To top it off, this article found a positive association between processed meat intake and colorectal cancer.
The Dangers of Cooking
There’s a great section in Dr. Michael Greger’s book, How Not to Die, on the dangers of meat smoke. Subjecting muscle tissue to high heat releases mutagenic chemicals which, if inhaled, can cause cancer and other diseases.
Dr. Greger says that even living next to restaurants is harmful due to long-term exposure to meat fumes.
It’s gross to describe cooking meat as “heating muscle tissue”. Doing this releases several carcinogens, like heterocyclic amines (HCAs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and advanced glycation end-products (AGE). Some of these (here) are also found environmentally and in cigarette smoke.
Many studies find that consumption of “well-done” meat, poultry, and fish, along with exposure to meat smoke, can be carcinogenic to humans (here, here, and here).
Consumption of charbroiled meat and inhalation of meat fumes has also been found to increase the risk of breast and prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and stomach cancer.
The Carnitine Debate
L-carnitine is a fuel source, rich in meat (red and white), fish, and milk products.
Carnitine is actually good for us and works by guiding fatty acids from the blood to the mitochondria for energy. L-carnitine is used up during exercise and improves endurance by inhibiting lactic acid accumulation.
As we age, carnitine levels decrease and can lead to weak mitochondrial activity. According to this meta-analysis, supplements of L-carnitine might improve mental function in older adults with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Short-term exposure to carnitine might also be good for cardiovascular function and some studies find carnitine might help with fatigue and depressed mood in patients undergoing chemotherapy (examples here and here).
It’s important to note that these are small or observational trials and no real clinical benefit has been established for carnitine supplementation – as is the case with many supplements.
A greater issue lies with chronic exposure to L-carnitine.
A big study on this got lots of attention in the media and had everyone worried about carnitine.
It found that omnivores have different intestinal bacteria than vegans or vegetarians, and therefore produce more TMAO – an end product of L-carnitine and choline – which might link to increased vascular lesions and cardiovascular disease.
This is now under investigation to better understand the role of TMAO and its link to atherosclerosis, as this study urges, also prompting long-term safety studies for supplemental carnitine since no clear clinical benefit has been established.
Interestingly, this study investigated the nutritional value of nuts and found that eating pistachios significantly lowered TMAO levels, if you’re worried about it.
In Conclusion… Red Meat and Your Health
Not sure if you’re leaving here with more questions than before. But you can see it’s a tricky topic to assess whether red meat is good or bad for your health.
Top tip: stay away from processed meats. The data there is pretty clear.
I’m plant-based (mostly) because I love animals and have a myriad of food sensitivities which need to be mitigated. And since the risks remain unclear, I’d rather play it safe anyway.
I say “mostly” because I occasionally eat fish (I can’t give up sushi, I just can’t). And I sometimes reward my good work with chocolate, which tends to contain dairy, though it’s accompanied by lactase enzymes to prevent self-implosion.
But if you insist on eating meat, I recommend imitating the hunter-gatherer lifestyle as much as possible. This includes staying away from processed meat and making sure:
- the animal is free range, grass-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free,
- the meat cooks to medium-rare at most, with no charring,
- you keep smoke inhalation to a minimum (cooking outside helps),
- you’re getting good exercise, and
- you consume meat mindfully to give your body time to clear any toxins.
As always… when it comes to your health, tread with care.
