‘Eat Less Red Meat, Scientists Said. Now Some Believe That Was Bad Advice.’

Gina Kolata, reporting for The New York Times:

Public health officials for years have urged Americans to limit consumption of red meat and processed meats because of concerns that these foods are linked to heart disease, cancer and other ills.

But on Monday, in a remarkable turnabout, an international collaboration of researchers produced a series of analyses concluding that the advice, a bedrock of almost all dietary guidelines, is not backed by good scientific evidence.

If there are health benefits from eating less beef and pork, they are small, the researchers concluded. Indeed, the advantages are so faint that they can be discerned only when looking at large populations, the scientists said, and are not sufficient to tell individuals to change their meat-eating habits.

From my favorite scene in the deeply flawed but underrated Never Say Never Again:

M: Too many free radicals, that’s your problem.

Bond: Free radicals, sir?

M: Yes. They’re toxins that destroy the body and the brain. Caused by eating too much red meat and white bread, and too many dry martinis!

Bond: Then I shall cut out the white bread, sir.

★ Monday, 30 September 2019