How harmful is meat?

Bread with salami for breakfast, sliced ​​meat for lunch, and a grill with friends in the evening – that’s how much meat can end up on your plate in a single day. In the United States and Australia, each person consumes an average of 100 kilos of meat per year, in Europe, about 80, and in Germany, about 60. And that is too much.

Too much for the environment and too much to support the number of animals needed to appease the human appetite. But the amount of meat consumed in industrialized countries is also too much for one’s health.

For this reason, the SThe German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends a maximum of 600 grams of meat per week. However, according to the latest nutrition report published by the DGE, German men, in particular, consume almost double that amount. The meta-analyses included in the study showed that a high consumption of red and processed meat has a rather unfavorable influence on certain disease risks, the DGE wrote in a press release.

What diseases does meat cause?

Walter Willet has spent 40 years studying the relationship between nutrition, disease and health. He is a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston. When asked about the main health problems caused by meat consumption, he names cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Red meat, that is, beef, pork, lamb or goat, is especially harmful.

“Red meat is rich in saturated fatty acids, which increase LDL cholesterol in the blood and are a clear cause of heart attacksWillett explains. This causes an increase in a risk factor known among cardiologists as trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) and leads to a pathological accumulation of nests of cholesterol and other fats in the arteries, which is called atherosclerosis. According to an American study from 2019, the first signs of atherosclerosis are already noticeable after a short period of extreme consumption of red meat. And extreme means here: two servings of meat a day.

In addition, the researchers suspect that red meat consumption also impairs kidney function. They found that the kidneys were less efficient at removing TMAO after eating meat.

Meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes

Willet himself participated in several studies that investigated the relationship between meat consumption and diabetes mellitus, also called type 2 diabetes. According to studies, red meat in particular favors the development of diabetes. In another study, Willett and his colleagues also found a connection between grilled or fried meat and an increased risk of diabetes. This result applies not only to the beef fillet, but also, for example, to the chicken leg.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), in Europe there are about 60 million people with diabetes. And the trend is increasing. Diabetes “can be largely prevented with a healthy diet and sufficient exercise,” the WHO reports on its website.

Meat is obviously just one variable. “Going without meat and drinking sugary drinks instead has no health benefits,” Willet says. Anyone who eats only French fries and drinks soda can be a vegetarian and a diabetic at the same time.

Is meat carcinogenic?

The risk of developing certain types of cancer has been linked to meat consumption in several studies. Red and processed meats, including hot dogs, ham and salami, are also especially problematic. However, in 2019, the publication of a team of scientists from the NutriRECS consortium made headlines, recommending that adults continue consuming red and processed meat as before.

The publication drew criticism from experts because, as the authors themselves write, the recommendations were based on extremely weak evidence. In fact, three of the five meta-analyses that the consortium authors had used as the basis for their recommendation concluded that red and processed meat lead to higher cancer mortality. Another 2021 meta-analysis also concluded that meat-heavy diets significantly increase the risk of breast and colon cancer, for example.

Can I give up meat?

Many people are convinced that meat is part of a healthy diet. In fact, this is true in regions where it is difficult to grow vegetables and legumes, and people depend on the nutrients provided by the meat of their animals.

“Of course, meat also has valuable ingredients,” says expert Willet. Chicken is less harmful than red meat, and fish can also contribute to a healthy diet. No one has to completely give up meat and animal products to stay healthy. On the other hand, vegetarians and vegans can also have a very healthy life.

“The best is a predominantly plant-based diet,” says the nutritionist. Nuts, legumes, and soy products are good sources of protein. Vegetables also contain a lot of fiber and phytochemicals that reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and also obesity.

A predominantly plant-based diet also contributes to environmental protection and animal welfare. For this reason, Walter Willet considers that the ecological consequences of meat consumption must also be taken into account when answering the question of the extent to which meat makes us sick: “There are no healthy people without a healthy planet.” (I)