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A28 SCIENCE
Monday 14 october 2019
Who says you can't eat red meat? Food advice questioned anew

By CANDICE CHOI and could feel the need to
AP Food & Health Writer defend their position.
NEW YORK (AP) — So is red The back-and-forth under-
meat good or bad for you? scores the difficulty of rul-
If the answer were only that ing out the biases any re-
simple. searcher is likely to have,
A team of international given the amount of in-
researchers recently rat- dustry money in nutrition
tled the nutrition world by research and the strong
saying there isn't enough beliefs people often have
evidence to tell people about food.
to cut back on red or pro- Meat is an especially polar-
cessed meat, seemingly izing topic, given the ani-
contradicting advice from mal welfare and environ-
prominent health experts mental consequences that
and groups including the come with it.
American Cancer Society That could further confuse
and American Heart Asso- In this Jan. 18, 2010 file photo, steaks and other beef products are displayed for sale at a grocery people about who or what
ciation. store in McLean, Va. to believe, or they just focus
But the researchers didn't Associated Press on research that backs up
say people should eat more ple become increasingly mean cereal is the reason should be considered. For what they want to believe.
meat, or that it's healthy. frustrated with flip-flopping they're thin. those who regularly eat LOST IN TRANSLATION
No new studies were con- messages. Health experts who defend and enjoy meat, cutting Wherever researchers
ducted, and they reported MEAT TWO WAYS advice to cut back meat back on it may seem dras- stand on meat, there's
no new understanding of The papers analyzed past say the researchers were tic if all they are getting in agreement that the nu-
meat's effects on the body. studies on red and pro- applying an unreasonable return is small reduction in ances of nutrition science
Instead, the papers offer cessed meat and gener- standard — evaluating the risk, if any at all. often get lost in translation.
a new approach to giving ally corroborated the links strength of the meat stud- "Recommendations should Foods are often labeled as
advice about food and to cancers, heart disease ies with a method intended consider the values and good or bad, even when
health — and a rebuke to and other bad health out- for medical studies, where preferences of people who researchers try to be nu-
how it's often done. comes. But they said the a specific dose of drug can actually bear the conse- anced.
The dispute lays bare prob- chance of any benefit be tested under controlled quences," said Bradley Take red meat. The ad-
lems with nutrition research from eating less of them conditions. Johnston, lead author of vice to "limit" it often
long acknowledged in the appeared small or negli- With nutrition, they say it's the papers, who specializes doesn't specify by how
scientific world: Nutrition gible. impossible to conduct stud- in research methodologies. much, which could lead
studies are almost never For every 1,000 people, for ies where people's diets TILTING THE EVIDENCE people to think cutting
conclusive, and whatever instance, cutting back on and lifestyles are controlled Given the uncertainties of back is good regardless of
supposed risk and benefits red meat by three servings and monitored over long nutrition science, another the context. But in poorer
there are to any food are a week was linked to seven periods. They say the statis- long-running concern is the countries, red meat might
often oversimplified. fewer deaths from can- tical signals they see in nu- potential for findings to be help improve diets. In richer
"People like bumper sticker cer. For some other health trition studies are meaning- skewed by personal beliefs countries, Willett said the
guidance," said Dr. Walter measures, like strokes, the ful, and that people should or financial incentives. benefits of cutting back
Willett, a professor of nutri- difference was smaller or be given guidance on the The latest papers were no would vary depending on
tion at Harvard who has led nonexistent. best available data. exception, with critics and what replaces it, and that
studies tying meat to bad What's more, the research- THE PERSON VS. THE POPU- supporters each pointing pizza might not be an im-
health. ers said there's little certain- LATION to factors that could have provement.
Now health experts are ty meat was the reason for If it's true that there would influenced the others' posi- Still, Willett and others who
wrestling with how solid sci- the differences. be seven fewer cancer tion. criticized last week's papers
entific findings should be Uncertainty is common in deaths for every 1,000 peo- Critics noted Johnston, the say the many Americans
before guidance is issued, nutrition research. Many ple who cut back on red lead author, undermined who eat red meat once a
how to address biases that studies about food and meat, then it is also true that another dietary recom- day or more could benefit
might skew conclusions health are based on links 993 of those people would mendation in the past. He from eating less.
and whether the pleasure researchers make be- not see that benefit even if previously led a study fund- There's no consistent rec-
we get from eating should tween people's health and they ate fewer burgers. ed by the food industry that ommendation for an ac-
be considered. what they say they eat. For many public health challenged guidelines to ceptable amount. The
The scrutiny is likely to spill But that doesn't prove one experts, the potential for limit added sugars, which American Cancer Society's
over to other dietary ad- causes the other. If a thin those seven fewer deaths serves the interests of many experts say "a few" servings
vice as obesity becomes person loves cereal and is worth making a broad food companies. That pa- a week or less.
an ever more critical public eats it nearly every day, recommendation to limit per initially said the authors A study by Willett, which
health concern, and peo- for instance, that doesn't meat. Across an entire independently wrote the also addressed the envi-
population, the numbers plan for the study. After ronmental impact of food,
could add up to many lives emails obtained by the advised a limit of one serv-
saved. Associated Press showed ing a week.
But the question is where to the industry group sent "re- Public health experts want
draw the line, and at what quested revisions," the pa- to give people advice
point the potential benefit per was corrected to say that's easy to communi-
is too small and uncertain the group reviewed and cate. But most acknowl-
to ask people to change approved the plan. edge that doing a better
their behavior. Johnston and supporters job of conveying nuances
The authors also argue of the papers countered, and uncertainties could
the individual being asked saying critics have long ad- help prevent mistrust and
to change their behavior vised people to limit meat confusion.q