Meat and cheese diet could be as lethal as smoking

A new study suggests that a high-protein diet during middle age makes you nearly twice as likely to die and four times more likely to die of cancer.

"There's a misconception that because we all eat, understanding nutrition is simple. But the question is not whether a certain diet allows you to do well for three days, but can it help you survive to be 100?" corresponding author Valter Longo, the Edna M. Jones Professor of Biogerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Longevity Institute, said.

Not only is excessive protein consumption linked to a dramatic rise in cancer mortality, but middle-aged people who eat lots of proteins from animal sources - including meat, milk and cheese - are also more susceptible to early death in general, the study said.

Protein-lovers were 74 percent more likely to die of any cause within the study period than their more low-protein counterparts. They were also several times more likely to die of diabetes.

The study is set to be published in the journal Cell Metabolism.