Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine have debunked scientific evidence showing that eating red meat causes systemic inflammation in the body and increases the risk of chronic disease. A study has been published that could lead to a revision of healthy eating recommendations American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Inflammation is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Current recommendations recommend that people limit their consumption of red meat due to its association with increased systemic inflammation. However, this view is largely based on old publications, and their conclusions are not always confirmed by new research.
In the new study, scientists analyzed data from nearly four thousand elderly people participating in the MESA Atherosclerosis Study. They found that after adjusting for body mass index (BMI), consumption of red meat (beef, pork, or lamb) was not directly associated with any biomarkers of inflammation in the blood. Of particular interest was the lack of an association between red meat consumption and C-reactive protein (CRP), an important marker of inflammation.
This finding was true for both unprocessed meat and processed foods such as sausages. This suggests that body weight, rather than red meat, may be the driver of inflammation.
“Red meat is popular, accessible and delicious, and its place in our diets has deep cultural roots. “Given this, recommendations to reduce consumption need to be supported by convincing scientific evidence, which is not yet available.”
Previous scientists I learnedHow dangerous can non-alcoholic beer be?