For years we’ve heard the advice to cut down on red meat and processed meat to avoid health risks such as heart disease and cancer. On September 30th, an international group of researchers turned that advice on its head in an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. (1) Their advice to people is this:

Don’t change your meat-eating habits because any health benefits are only seen in large populations, not at an individual level.

This is in direct conflict with the advice from organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, International Agency for Research on Cancer, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the College of Cardiology, and the government’s 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. All of these agencies recommend a diet that is low in red and processed meats.

So what is a consumer to believe?

Dozens of health agencies are weighing in, including the True Health Initiative, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the Stanford School of Health Education. They point to flaws in the design of the new study promoting red meat consumption, including these:

This was a meta-analysis of many prior studies, but it only looked at observational studies and randomized trials vs. all of the evidence on meat. For example, it ignored contradictory data from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Their conclusion that eating less meat does not lower the risk of heart disease was based almost exclusively on a study called the Women’s Health Initiative, which analyzed dietary habits of women over an eight year period. However, the intake of meat between the control and experimental groups was only a half-ounce per day, less than 1/5 of a burger.

What does this mean to me?

I recommend following the sensible, evidence-based advice of nearly all major health authorities: limit the amounts of red meat and processed meat in your diet.