A broad, decade-long study that included more than a half a million participants makes it pretty clear that an abundance of red and/or processed meat is a key factor in premature death.
The study’s authors do not suggest a total dietary removal of red meat, but rather a reduction in one’s intake. This study confirms the links that so many previous studies have shown between a diet heavy in red meat and health issues such as cancer, high blood pressure, heart failure, etc.
While the problems of a heavy red meat diet have long been discussed, we now have the additional environmental factors to consider.
In the United States … livestock production accounts for 55 percent of the erosion process, 37 percent of pesticides applied, 50 percent of antibiotics consumed, and a third of total discharge of nitrogen and phosphorus to surface water.
Look for this to be a major topic of discourse as the green movement continues to go mainstream.
