46 •
The Lion King
• July - September 2015
Lifestyle
| Health
By Johnkennedy
Nnanna
Is Red
Meat
bad
for
your
health?
Red meat can
increase your risk for
heart disease, cancer
and diabetes.”
R
ed meat includes fresh beef, pork,
lamb, mutton and veal, as well as
processed meats that come from
these animal sources. These foods can
add value to your diet, as they are rich
in protein, iron, B vitamins and zinc.
However, their saturated fat and cho-
lesterol content can adversely affect
your health, and the manner in which
red meat is produced, processed and
cooked can also impact your well-
being.
According to webmd.com, a study
by National Institutes of Health-AARP
in America of more than a half-mil-
lion older Americans concluded that
people who ate the most red meat
and processed meat over a 10-year-
period were likely to die sooner than
those who ate smaller amounts.
Cardiovascular Disease
Animal-based dietary fats, such as
the ones found in red meat, can con-
tribute to risk factors associated with
heart disease and stroke. They add
cholesterol and saturated fats to your
diet, which can increase the accu-
mulation of a fatty substance called
plaque to the walls lining your arteries.
Cancer
Red meat can increase your likeli-
hood of developing cancer in sev-
eral ways. “After a systemic review
of scientific studies, an expert panel
of the World Cancer Research Fund
and the American Institute for Cancer
Research concluded in 2007 that “red
or processed meats are convincing or
probable sources of some cancers.”
Their report says evidence is convinc-
ing for a link between red meat, pro-
cessed meat, and colorectal cancer,
and limited but suggestive for links
to lung, esophageal, stomach, pan-
creatic, and endometrial cancers”
according to webmd.com.
Diabetes
The greater the amount of red meat
you consume, and of processed red
meat in particular, the greater your risk
can be of developing type 2 diabetes.
Processed red meats can contain pre-
servatives such as nitrosoamines that
are toxic to the pancreatic cells that
produce insulin. In addition, chemical
changes to red meat during cooking
or processing can lead to insulin resis-
tance in your cells and tissues.
