Study Shows Typical Red Meat Consumption Does Not Affect Short-Term Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

A new review of clinical trials by researchers at Purdue University indicates that typical red meat consumption does not affect short-term cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol.The report indicates that eating red meat can be incorporated into a healthier diet despite 20 years of recommendation to reduce red meat consumption, noted Wayne Campbell, professor of nutrition science at Purdue. The analysis contends that earlier studies suggested that red meat consumption is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, but were not designed to show that red meat consumption caused cardiovascular disease. The Purdue researchers looked at hundreds of research articles, especially those that suggested the amount of red meat consumed, evaluated cardiovascular disease risk factors and how they were designed. They concluded that consuming more than 3 ounces of red meat (mostly unprocessed beef and pork) three times per week — considered half a serving per day — did not worsen blood pressure or total blood cholesterol commonly screened by health care providers. Purdue’s Campbell said more analysis is needed since evaluating blood pressure and cholesterol are not the only factors when someone develops cardiovascular disease.