Burger hunters beware: People who eat red meat every day increase the risk of dying from cancer over a 10-year period, according to a new study on about half a million people. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, published their results in Archives of Internal Medicine. The study found out that the people who ate red meat the most had about a 30 percent greater risk of dying than those who ate the least. Most means a quart pound a day. The types of cancer affected were colorectal, liver, lung, and esophageal. The numbers are even worst for processed red meat. So what the study says is you shouldn’t eat red meat daily. You can replace red meat with white meat which actually increases your chance against cancer.

Meat classification

1. The red meat includes all types of beef and pork, including hamburgers and steak, as well as meat in pizza, chili, lasagna, and stew. People who consumes this type the most has the highest risk.
2. The processed meat defined by bacon, red-meat sausage, poultry sausage, cold cuts, ham, regular hot dogs, and low-fat hot dogs also had a slightly higher mortality risk than those who consumed the least.
3. In contrast, people who ate white meat the most seemed to have a slightly lower mortality risk during the study than those who consumed the least amount of white meat. White meat included chicken, turkey, and fish, as well as some poultry products and canned tuna.

Recommendation

The American Institute of Cancer Research recommends that people should consume less than a ¼ pound of red meat (the equivalent of a child-size fast-food hamburger) per week to reduce the risk of cancer. A spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association recommends that people replace high-fat red and processed meats with protein-rich foods such as poultry or fish, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy. Filling half a plate with vegetables and a quarter with meat will help keep portions in control and increase your longevity

Reference

Meat Intake and Mortality, Rashmi Sinha, National Cancer Institute official paper.
Eating quarter pound of red meat a day raises mortality risk: study, Canadian News-CBC article review