UK documentary explores myths around meat consumption
In an attempt to introduce some balance and science into the debate over meat consumption, the BBC’s Horizon programme 'Should I Eat Meat?' explored some of the claims and myths surrounding the issue of eating meat.
Dr Michael Mosely examined scientific reports in both the US and the Europe and highlighted some of the contradictions and counter-claims made by such cohort studies.
The television programme reported the strong role that meat plays in providing essential nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and iron, but did not shy away from reflecting its high levels of saturated fat. It also suggested that l-carnitine could have a role to play in red meat’s effect on hearth health.
Mosely reported that, according to a US research paper – Red Meat Consumption and Mortality by Professor Walter Willett – eating around 85g of unprocessed red meat was associated with a 13% increased risk of mortality. However, he then went onto point out that Willett’s results did not match a recent European study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), which found that eating small amounts of red meat had no effect on mortality.
Unfortunately for meat eaters, Mosely did come down harder on processed meats, citing the EPIC conclusion that eating anything over 40g a day increased the risks of cancer and heart disease, although he did admit that the science was far from settled. In conclusion, he suggested that eating red meat in moderation was fine, but we needed to cut down on processed meats.
The programme sparked fierce debate in the UK and on Twitter. Dr Carrie Ruxton, a dietitian who works with the Meat Advisory Panel, played down the reliance on cohort studies: "The difficulty with such observational studies is that high meat consumers often represent a cluster of behaviours – smoking for instance."
She dismissed claims such as "eating a slice of bacon would take an hour off your life" as "nonsense, bad science, irresponsible and scaremongering".
Join the ongoing debate on Twitter using the hashtag #meatdebate.
