Health and Wellness

Consumption of Red Meat Bad for Women's Health

Many low-carb diets claim that consumption of meat and meat fat can reduce one's overall body fat and decrease risk for heart disease, diabetes, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure, but medical research does not support these claims. In a review of medical literature on the connection between diet and disease, Shikany and White (2000) reported that diets high in saturated fatty acides (as found in meat, butter and tropical oils, increases low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C (bad cholesterol) and decreases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterold, or HDL-C (good cholesterol) They further report that high LDL levels and low HDL levels are associated with coronary heart disease, cancer, and stroke. A diet high in saturated fat is linked to increase rates of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Not exactly the story that proponents of low-carb diets tell.

Consumption of red meat, has further negative implications for women's health and has been linked to several illnesses and diseases. In a study reported in Human Reproduction, the dietary habits of 504 women with endometriosis and 504 without endometriosis were examined. It was found that consumption of green vegetables and fresh fruit was highly correlated with a decreased risk of endometriosis (as much as 40%), whereas consumption of beef and pork, was highly correlated with an increased risk of endometriosis (as much as 80-100%) (Barclay, 2004). Another study by Chan et al. (2005) reported a correlation between red meat consumption and colorectal cancer in those who do not carry the NAT2 genotype, which can act as a mediating factor in the influence of red meat on colorectal carcinogenesis. In studies conducted by Jain, Howe, and Rohan, a connection between the consumption of animal fat and endometrial cancer was reported. Chiaffarino et al. (2003) found that women with seromucinous benign ovarian cysts reported more frequent consumption of red meat and cheese and less frequent consumption of green vegetables thant those without such cysts. Song, Manson, Buring, & Liu (2004) examined the incidence between red meat consumption in diabetes among a sample of 37,309 women who were participating in the larger Women’s Health study consisting of 326,876. After adjusting for age, BMI, total energy intake, exercise, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, and family history of diabetes, the author’s concluded that there was a positive correlation between consumption of red meat and risk for type 2 diabetes. They found in even higher correlation between type 2 diabetes and consumption of processed meat. Finally, many recent medical studies have reported that higher consumption of animal fat inhibits the absorption of calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis. A study that compared calcium consumption and calcium absorption of vegan and nonvegan women found that, though the vegan women consumed about 1/3 the amount of calcium of nonvegan women, they absorbed the same amount, if not a little more calcium than nonvegan women.

Why does consumption of red meat affect women's health so negatively? One of the main reasons proposed my scientists is the large amount of hormones injected into cattle and pork. Hormones are given to cows and pigs to increase their size, and to dairy cattle to increase milk production. Many of these hormones are illegal for humans to purchase and inject into themselves, but strangely, have been approved for second-hand consumption through animal products. The rise in McDonalds popularity over the past few decades, and subsequent rise in consumption of hamburgers by young girls is being implicated in a rise in early onset puberty. Many girls are beginning to take on secondary characteristics and begin menstruating as early as 8 and 9 years of age. Consumption of estrogen in beef can upset the delicate hormonal balance within the body. When this hormonal balance is upset, women begin to experience many of the health problems listed above. Increased hormones in beef only accounts for part of the equation though. Even when women are fed organic, free-range, vegetarian fed cattle and pork, they still demonstrate increased risk for coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and many illnesses of the reproductive system. It seems that the chemical make-up in red meat alone can cause hormonal imbalances in women. Men seem less affected by the hormonal flunctuations that can be caused by the consumption of red meat, unless you take into account that high consumption of red meat has been linked to increased aggressiveness in men.

Overall, a mostly plant-based diet, low in processed foods and saturated fat has been found to be the healthiest for women. Plant sources of calcium and protein have been found to be more easily absorbed and utilized by the body and have little affect on hormonal balance, which is key to reproductive system health. In addition, diets high in fruits and vegetables, and low in meat products stabilize cholesterol levels and weight, leading to overall improved health and quality of life.

 

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