Sorry, Red Meat Lovers…

How much do you really want that steak?

Are you willing to increase your risk of premature death?

If that sounds harsh, check out the recent news on red meat. Eating any amount and any kind of red meat may significantly raise the risk of premature death, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers followed the eating habits and health records of more than 110,000 for more than 20 years.

Their findings might give you pause when you’re shopping in the meat section at the grocery store.

Eating one serving of unprocessed red meat every day was associated with a 13 percent greater chance of dying.

Did you have a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich for lunch before your steak dinner? That extra daily serving of processed read meat carried a 20 percent higher risk of death during the study.

Wow.

Health officials have been warning us about eating too much red meat for a while now. High in fat, it’s not on the list of recommended foods for people trying to lose weight.

And previous studies have suggested that eating red meat is associated with a higher risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

But this new research takes the warning a step further.

Need some good news?

Substituting other foods, such as fish and poultry, for red meat was associated with a lower mortality risk.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine

Alice Warchol is a freelance health blog writer and fitness instructor.

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