Halving meat consumption would provide dramatic health benefits

Researchers from Cambridge University reported last week that if Brits halved their consumption of red and processed meat, thousands of deaths from cancer, diabetes and heart disease could be prevented and carbon emissions would be reduced . The researchers, from the university’s Institute of Public Health, used responses from the 2000-2001 British National Diet and Nutrition Survey to estimate meat consumption. They then calculated the number of cases of bowel cancer, diabetes and heart disease which would be avoided, if meat consumption fell, based on a number of academic studies. The report, published in the journal BMJ Open , found that if British men reduced their daily intake of red and processed meat from 91g to 53g (e.g. from a large burger to a small one) this would result in a 12 per cent drop in cases of bowel cancer and diabetes, and a 10 per cent drop in cases of heart disease. They found that if British women reduced their daily intake from 54g to 30g, this would result in an 8 per cent drop in cases of bowel cancer, a 7.5 per cent drop in cases of diabetes and a 6 per cent drop in cases of heart disease. Earlier this year, American researchers published the results of a long term research project involving 37,698 men and 83,644 women which drew similar conclusions. In addition to looking at the health benefits of meat reduction, the new Cambridge University study highlighted the fact that halving meat consumption would reduce Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions by three per cent. The authors concluded: “Climate change mitigation is a far-future benefit that may not directly affect those who must make lifestyle changes now. It is therefore unlikely to be a strong motivator for change. In contrast, health benefits provide near-term rewards to individuals for climate-friendly changes and may thus ‘nudge’ humanity towards a sustainable future. Dietary recommendations should no longer be based on direct health effects alone.”