Does Red Meat Cause Heart Disease?

In 2010, chicken overtook red meat as the most popular meat consumed in the U.S., according to the United States Department of Agriculture (or USDA). One reason is red meat consumption is considered a risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. But is it really? If you love steaks and cheeseburgers, keep reading, I may have some good news for you.

I realize this statement contradicts common knowledge. But keep in mind, science and medicine progress one funeral at a time. What do I mean by this? “Old ideas” need to die off for new ideas to take hold. Such is the case with red meat and heart disease.

When I assess a patient’s risk for heart disease, I rely on a pneumonic device – FLASH GLI, which stands for family history, low HDL (good cholesterol), age, smoking, hypertension (high blood pressure), glucose metabolism (the processing and using sugar for energy), lipids (blood fats) and inflammation.

These biomarkers are important for overall health. But I don’t see a difference in the meat eaters in my practice. And I’m not alone.

A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention) didn’t find that unprocessed red meat adversely affects heart disease risk factors when considering the relationship between eating beef and developing or progressing heart disease. 

Of course, the emphasis on that statement is unprocessed red meat. (Processed red meat, like cold cuts, sausage, bacon and hot dogs is a different story.) But honestly, there’s been evidence for a while. In fact, the first study that compared cholesterol levels of those eating red meat to those eating lean white meat was conducted in 1999 and didn’t find a difference.

Benefits of Red Meat

If red meat is high in saturated fat, how does it not damage the heart and blood vessels? Well, first, only half of the fats in red meat are saturated. Secondly, a good portion of it is stearic acid, which generally doesn’t influence cholesterol levels. The other 50 percent of fat in beef is monounsaturated fat, the type you find in olive oil, which improves cholesterol.

Of course, red meat has cholesterol, which can affect your cholesterol levels, but no more than chicken. Studies have shown that dietary cholesterol has a minimal impact on LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. For every 100 mg of dietary cholesterol you consume, LDLs are raised by 1.9 mg per dl, which is trivial. A small fraction of our population can hyper-absorb cholesterol, but it’s still not normally a big contributor. This is how eggs reclaimed their badge as a health food.

Why Does Red Meat Have Such a Bad Rap? 

It’s possible that meat’s bad reputation has more to do with corresponding unhealthy lifestyle habits as opposed to actual nutrition. Studies suggest that people who regularly consume more red meat are more likely to:

• Smoke, which damages the heart and blood vessels.
• Have a high body mass index (or BMI), which raises your risk for fatty material to build up in your arteries.
• Live sedentary lifestyles, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, two common risk factors for heart disease.
• Eat less fruit and veggies, which help reduce plaque buildup in the arteries.

Healthy Red Meat Consumption

Over the last decade, there’s been a heavy push towards eating more plant-based foods. While I encourage my patients to eat plant-based foods, particularly vegetables, I also encourage them to get unprocessed red meat into their diet. Red meat is very nutrient dense and can help improve your cholesterol profile if you replace carbohydrates (plant-based foods) with a protein such as red meat.

There are some health benefits of consuming red meat that are specific to older adults such as enhancing the effects progressive resistance training has on muscle mass and strength. It also helps lower inflammation.

In middle-aged adults, red meat provides important nutrients like protein, iron, vitamin B12 and zinc. It’s also a great support to healing from injury, including surgery.

In younger adults, red meat provides important nutrients like protein, iron, vitamin B12 and zinc. It’s also a great support to healing from injury, including surgery. Red meat consumption also helps stave off anemia in women of reproductive age.

Of course, your approach to eating red meat shouldn’t be carte blanche. I believe in a commonsense method to eating it. Here are six tips to help keep your red meat consumption healthy >>