Red meat, diseases, and healthy alternatives: A critical review

ABSTRACT

Meat is an important food for human nutrition, by especially providing high-quality protein and also some essential micronutrients, in front iron, zinc, and vitamin B₁₂. However, a high intake of red and processed meat is associated with an increased risk for diseases, especially type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, as several epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have shown. This review summarizes meta-analyses of publications studying the association between red and processed meat intake and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, colorectal and other cancers, and all-cause mortality. Various potential mechanisms involved in the increased disease risk are discussed. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of healthy alternatives for meat, like fish, nuts, vegetables and fruits, pulses and legumes, whole grains, and dairy products are reviewed by including selected papers and recent meta-analyses.

KEYWORDS:

• Red meat
• processed meat
• disease
• diabetes
• cancer
• cardiovascular disease
• mortality
• healthy foods

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Climate and Energy Fund of the Austrian Federal Government for the project ClimBHealth (grant agreement no KR13AC6K10969).