Red and processed meats – How much to include in diet?

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDFeb 22 2011

A latest Government-commissioned report advises people to eat less red meat and processed meat saying that it lowers the risk of developing cancer. The report will advise consumers eat no more than 2.5 oz (70g) of red or processed meat a day – the equivalent of three rashers of bacon. Also the weekly recommended limit is likely to be 1.1 lb (500g), the same as eating a large pack of minced beef, two 8oz steaks or four 4oz pork chops. The farming and retail industries are, as predictable, not happy with the directives.

A Whitehall source said, “It is important that people are not put off eating red meat entirely – but it would be irresponsible to ignore the potential health risks.” Current advice dating back to 1998 states that 3.2 oz (90g) is a healthy daily portion of red meat, and that only those who eat more than 5oz (140g) a day need to cut back. The average Briton currently consumes 2.5oz (70g) a day.

In a 2005 European study it was seen that those who regularly eat more than 5.6oz (160g) of red meat daily increase their risk of contracting bowel cancer by a third. As many as 16,000 people die each year of bowel cancer in Britain, most of whom are diagnosed before they turn 50. It has also been linked to heart disease because of its high saturated fat content, type 2 diabetes and other forms of cancer including breast, lung and prostate.

Further in 2007 the World Cancer Research Fund recommended a weekly red meat limit of 500g but said that children should never be fed processed products such as sausages. After this the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) was asked by the Department of Health to review dietary advice on meat consumption as a source of iron. SACN published its draft report in June 2009 and it claimed that lower consumption of red and processed meat could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer adding, “Although the evidence is not conclusive, as a precaution, it may be advisable for intakes of red and processed meat not to increase above the current average (70g/day) and for high consumers of red and processed meat (100g/day or more) to reduce their intakes.” Sir Liam Donaldson, in 2010, then the Chief Medical Officer for England, claimed that 18,000 premature deaths could be prevented each year if meat consumption was reduced by a third.

It is now the Department of Health report that speaks in the same vein. A Department of Health spokesman said, “The DH committee of independent experts on nutrition will shortly publish their final report on Iron and Health.”