NEWS: Health & Environmental Impact Of Red Meat
In March, The Archives of Internal Medicine published a decade-long study on red meat’s impact on human health and the environment. 500,000 American men and women between the ages of 50 and 71 participated in the study. The unfortunate findings: Other things being equal, men and women who consumed the most red meat and processed meat (such as hot dogs) were likely to die sooner, especially from the two leading U.S. killers, heart disease and cancer, than people who consumed much smaller quantities of red meat.
The study concludes that people who condume a lot of red meat should replace some of that intake with fish and poultry, which contain less saturated fat. These diet changes could also help the environment, since livestock production contributes to soil erosion, global warming and water pollution. |
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One thing the report didn’t take into account, though, was organic, grass-fed beef versus factory-farmed. Organic, grass-fed beef has higher levels of vitamins, lower levels of saturated fats, and doesn’t have nearly the environmental impact as factory-farmed.
– If you’re a meat-lover through and through, read up on beef in our Beef Glossary. – Or if you prefer alternatives, check out our Seafood Glossary. |