Is Red Meat the New Tobacco? Turns Out Meat is Murder for Humans Too

Red Meat, the new red menace, the new silent killer.

Vegetarians have been warning about the dangers of red meat for years but now a new 28-year Harvard study shows that red meat can have an even greater impact than previously thought.

The study, entitled Red Meat Consumption and Mortality concluded that eating a 3 oz portion of red meat (the size of a deck of cards) could increase your likelihood of death by 13%. Add another portion to your daily intake and that number jumps to 20%.

Why does red meat limit your lifespan? Researchers believe it is a combination of aspects from the amount of iron and saturated fat in red meat, to the nitrates and chemicals used in their preservation and preparation. All of these factors can contribute to cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Researchers still don't know though if there is one factor that supersedes all others.

So what should you do to protect yourself? According to the study, ANY consumption of red meat leads to a shorter life span. In order to avoid the damage from red meat, replace it with servings of legumes, nuts, or even fish. You can also use protein sources such as tofu, tempeh and lowfat dairy.

Personally, we at Veggie Scene find it hard to believe anyone would want to eat red meat based on this study and the pink slime scare that recently hit the news. It seems like the meat industry is just like big tobacco; they try to hide as much information as they can from the consumer and portray their deadly product as masculine or robust when it is actually making us all fat and sick. Just compare the old cigarette ads to the beef ads of today and you'll notice the similarities. We can only hope that one day people become as educated about red meat as they are about tobacco, and we won't see as many instances of cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

The beef commercial below uses Aaron Copeland's composition Rodeo: Hoedown to invoke a robust and rugged Western theme.

The commercial below links meat with tailgating and barbecuing for the big game, linking sports with the consumption of red meat.

The cigarette commercial below shows a man's man who enjoys smoking while working on his car. 

The cigarette commercial below links sports to cigarettes through the endorsement of a football player.