For years there have been debates and news reports on the harms of red meat consumption and its links to increased inflammation and risk for various types of heart disease. Older research studies have suggested a link between red meat and increased inflammation, which has strongly influenced medical recommendations to this day. However, new research studies investigating this relationship show opposite results. A study from Baylor College of Medicine showed that both processed and unprocessed red meat consumption had no impact on inflammatory markers.
For decades, red meat consumption has been associated with an increased risk for heart disease and inflammation; however, newer and more comprehensive studies are showing that this association is not observed.
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The researchers evaluated these various plasma metabolites and inflammatory markers of interest in the participants who consumed both unprocessed and processed red meat. This was a randomized control trial where the participants were randomly assigned to either consume processed or unprocessed meat to not bias the data. The results showed that neither meat product had any influence on inflammatory markers, especially C-reactive protein. The authors controlled for each individual’s body mass index as they found that if these values were not controlled for, it biased the results and led to erroneous conclusions to be made.
As research tools and methodologies become more advanced and inclusive of various confounding factors, older and more outdated notions of health and disease can be challenged. When it comes to making medical recommendations and pushing for personalized medicine tools, better understanding the impact of common types of food that are consumed and the impact it has on health is critical to continue to flesh out.
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