Eating unprocessed and processed red meat regularly may shorten one's life span, according to researchers from Harvard School of Medicine.
Though several studies have already suggested an elevated risk of mortality associated with red meat intake, the Harvard-led study is the first to estimate whether substitution of other healthy protein sources for red meat is associated with a reduced mortality risk.
The findings were based on observations from 37,698 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2008) and 83,644 women from the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2008) who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at the beginning of the study.
The participants' diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The unprocessed red meat consumption included, beef, pork, or lamb as main dish, hamburger, and beef, pork, or lamb as a sandwich or mixed dish. Processed red meat included, bacon, hot dogs, and sausage, salami, bologna, and other processed red meats.
The follow-up study found that unprocessed and processed red meat intakes were associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality in men and women. About 20% of the participants died during the study due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
One daily serving of unprocessed red meat increased a participant's risk of dying during the study by 13 percent while one daily serving of processed red meat was associated with a 20 percent increased risk.
According to the researchers, men and women with higher intake of red meat were less likely to be physically active and were more likely to be current smokers, to drink alcohol, and to have a higher body mass index. In addition, a higher red meat intake was associated with a higher intake of total energy but lower intakes of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
The follow-up study also found that replacing 1 serving of total red meat with other healthy protein sources is associated with a lower risk of total mortality - 7 percent when replaced with fish, 10 percent for legumes and low-fat dairy products, 14 percent for poultry and whole grains, and 19 percent for nuts.
The scientists aren't sure of the exact association between red meat intake and cardiovascular disease mortality as saturated fat in the red meat may not be the sole culprit. It might be that a combination of saturated fat, heme iron and other constituents namely, sodium and nitrites in processed meat that are responsible for the additional harm of processed meats, according to them.
The association between cancer mortality and red meat intake can be attributed to the compounds in red meat and those created by high-temperature cooking, namely, N-nitroso compounds converted from nitrites, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heterocyclic amines, which are are potential carcinogens, noted the researchers.
The study concludes that greater consumption of unprocessed and processed red meats is associated with higher mortality risk and that replacement of red meat with alternative healthy dietary components, such as fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains may lower the mortality risk.
The study was published online March 12 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.