Cookaholics Bulletin Board

So, per a Harvard Medical Group study, eating even a small amount of red meat as any part of your diet increases adult mortality by 15%. Processed red meat (e.g. Oscar Meyer), 20%:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/13 ... t-20120313

This brings up an important question: when was the last time anyone heard from NTSC?

I'd be curious about the composition of the sample. Multiple countries, weather, urbanization, fruit consumption, etc.? Also self-reporting is notoriously inaccurate.

Then again I come from a meat eating family (lots of fruits and nuts as well, much less veggies and minimal non-fruit desserts), that is long lived so not surprising I am skeptical.

Warner posts on Facebook all the time.

Let me reflect upon life without: grilled burgers on a summer afternoon at the lake, smoked back ribs anytime & anywhere, 2" rare filet mignon with cabernet sauvignon, marinated pork tenderloin slightly roasted in butter for 3 minutes of each side and allowed to rest 10 minutes, oven roasted 7 pound chuck roast after being air-dried for 4 days, dogs done very slowly over an open fire and a really cold beer, all of the offerings at my favorite Italian deli, butter-flied pork chops with any sauce, lamb kabobs finished with a drizzle of lemon, butter and oregano, spaghetti and meat sauce, daube and a hundred other ‘stew-like’ concoctions, Alina’s Cuban-style pork shoulder, pulled pork sandwiches from Frank’s in Austin, all of the Chinese variations on pork and beef - - - NOPE! No thanks!

P.S. Oh yeah, at 62 my doctor says I’m in better shape than many of his 50 year olds and my blood work is stellar. Hittin' the gym 6 days per week doesn't hurt

The typical confounding factor in these studies is health awareness; those who do not eat red meat are probably typically more health aware then those who do (on average, anyway). Kinda like taking vitamins; those who take them are healthier, but if you blind test in a clinical study, there is no benefit from taking them. But if you choose to take them, you are probably more health aware then the average and thus more healthy.

It is hard to determine if they tried to control (statistically) for such things. One would think that it would be a given to control for such obvious factors, yet many studies have been done where at least some of the conclusions were drawn very very poorly.

I'm still kicking. Of course, I can't afford much red meat. I figure that sugar will kill me first, anyway.

Remind him we're here!

What Wino said...

Amy

I'd say the percentage of mortality for all of us is pretty damn close to 100%. I suppose if I gave up bacon and such I might live a little longer, or at least it would feel like it. I really think the focus of life should be less on the quantity and more on the quality. In my final days, I don't want to say, "I ate well and exercised regularly," I want to say "damn, that was a good time!"

What Darcie said.

Amy