A meat-rich diet could increase the risk for early death, says study

A meat-rich diet could increase the risk for early death, new research suggests.Finnish scientists gathered dietary and health data on 2,641 men ages 42 to 60, following them for an average of 22 years. Over the course of the study, 1,225 of them died.

Compared with men who ate less than 2.6 ounces, or 76 grams, of meat a day (red meat, white meat and organ meat combined), those who ate more than a half pound (251 grams) daily were 23 percent more likely to die. The study is in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
 

Higher intakes of protein were not significantly associated with an increased risk for premature death, except among those with serious disease. And consumption of the proteins in fish, eggs, dairy food and plants did not affect mortality. But, the researchers found, the higher the ratio of meat protein to plant protein, the greater the risk for early death.

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