64 MEN’S FITNESS OCTOBER 2019
n A little red meat is great
for protein and iron, but eat
too much and the risks will
outweigh these benefits.
Higher consumption of
red meat is convincingly
linked to bowel cancer
(1 in 6 cases of bowel cancer
in Australia), plus it’s also
associated with several
other cancers. Cancer
Council Australia
recommends a limit of
600g (raw weight, or 455g
cooked) max per week.
However, the cancer
risk largely comes from
carcinogens formed when
meat is in contact with high
heat, so casseroles and
slow roasts are the healthier
option. Cancer Council
Australia says that there’s
insufficient evidence of
a cancer risk from poultry,
but it’s still best not to
eat it charred or burnt.
In 2018, the European
Heart Journal gave us
another reason to go
easy on the red meat.
Trimethylamine N-oxide
(TMAO), a gut-generated
chemical linked to heart
disease, is three times
higher in people who eat
a diet rich in red meat
compared to people who
eat fish or poultry.
It’s the processed meats
that are really out to get
us – sausages, frankfurts,
salami... and bacon.
In 2015, the International
Agency for Research on
Cancer named processed
meat a “group 1 carcinogen”
due to the additives and
salts used in them. The good
news is that some bacon is
getting better, as many food
producers now significantly
reduce its carcinogenic
nitrosamine content by
adding vitamin C. Still, best
to put your beloved bacon in
the “guilty pleasure” basket.
At least for now.RED MEAT