How bad is meat for you, really?

A clinical study that I found interesting was released about a week ago. The study compared two diets: a vegetarian diet and a diet containing about 6 oz of lean, unprocessed beef daily. It found that those on the vegetarian diet had improvements in glucose/insulin and cholesterol (total and LDL).

I want to mention the group that funded the study was the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. If this sounds strange, just know that it is normal for interested parties to fund these kinds of studies. That does not mean that bias must be present, but it is a warning sign. In this case, I think it is significant that the results were different than the organization probably hoped for.

As far as the study goes, there are some factors I think that should be considered before drawing many conclusions:

• Few people who eat meat limit their red meat intake to 6 oz, and the meat they eat is often not lean and unprocessed. For example, many burgers today have a whopping 8 oz of hamburger in them with a high-fat content 🙂
• For the vegetarian group, the improvements in cholesterol and glucose/insulin were statistically insignificant. It is not like there was a substantial ground-shaking improvement.
• There were many other health factors (such as muscle mass) that were not considered by the study. In other words, the benefits of a vegetarian diet in one area might be counteracted by increased risks in other areas.

I have said this over and over: I believe in clinical studies. In fact, I look to them as the primary and best way to actually know the effectiveness of various health remedies. But, this particular study is woefully weak in giving much in the way of real answers. It simply is too limiting in the questions it is designed to answer.

So, regarding meat, until I see something better, I will stick with my mantra about moderation. I am skeptical of extreme diets, and while some may disagree, I consider vegetarian diets to be a bit extreme when viewed historically. People have always consumed meat. Very likely, they consumed far less than what many consume today, but eating meat has always been part of the human condition. I see no big reason for that to change, and in fact, I think there are big benefits to eating meat.

So, this is one of those studies where the takeaways are modest. If you are a vegetarian, carry on. If you are a meat-lover, make sure you are not overdoing it, but carry on too.

Photo by Victoria Shes on Unsplash