In 1977 a Dietary Goals report declared red meat bad for your health, and since then the consumption of red meat has fallen more than 26%. During that time several studies have tried to tie red meat to health problems.
USA Today reports that three recent studies are fighting back against the negative perception of red meat.
The researchers who wrote the report analyzed 61 studies that occurred throughout the past several years and consisted of over 4 million participants. The goal of the studies was to see if red meat affected the risk of developing heart disease and cancer.
All three of the reports came to one conclusion: Decreasing red meat consumption had little to no effect on reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, or stroke.
According to the market research firm Mintel, 46% of Americans believe that plant-based meat is better for you than real meat.
That could be another misconception. A lean beef burger has an average of nearly 20% fewer calories and 80% less sodium than the two most popular fake-meat burgers, the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger.
Fake meat is also considered an “ultra-processed” food. The National Institutes of Health released a study in May finding that ultra-processed foods cause weight gain.
To read the full report, click here.