Be careful of what you read
March 08 2014
“People who eat diets rich in animal protein carry similar cancer risk to those who smoke 20 cigarettes each day,” reports the UK’s Daily Telegraph, CNN and other news sources.
We have decades of very good evidence that smoking kills and – fortunately for meat lovers – this latest unhelpful comparison with high protein diets largely appears to be a triumph of PR spin.
The warning was raised in a press release about a large study which found that for people aged 50-65, eating a lot of protein was associated with an increased risk of dying.
However, the study, which assessed the diets of Americans in a single 24-hour period (rather than long-term), found in those aged over 65, that a high protein diet was actually associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause or from cancer. These differing findings meant that overall there was no increase in risk of death, or from dying of cancer with a high protein diet.
In this study, on average people ate 51% of their calories in the form of carbohydrates, 33% as fat and 16% as protein (11% animal protein). This is likely to be higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates than that recommended in the food guide which shows the relative proportions of food that we should aim to eat.
And, in those aged over 65, a high protein diet was actually associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause or from cancer.
There are several reasons to be cautious when interpreting the results of this study, including that the researchers did not take into account important factors such as physical activity in their study.
The claim in much of the media, that a high protein diet in middle-aged people is “as dangerous as smoking” is unsupported.
We need to eat protein; we do not need to smoke.
While certain diet plans, such as the Atkins diet or the “caveman diet” have promoted the idea of eating a high-protein diet for weight loss, relying on a single type of energy source in your diet is probably not a good idea. Consumption of some high-protein foods such as red meat and processed meat is already known to be associated with increased risk of certain cancers. Consuming red meat in moderation should be your goal.
Please remember,this is just one study. But it caught our attention because of the imbalance we often see in new and fad diets. One nutrient or food group is idolized, and the other is vilified. That’s just wrong.
The point here is that a healthy diet is a balanced diet. This means less processed food and more home cooking. This means a balance of proteins from plant and animal sources, along with complex carbs (whole grains, fruits, vegetables), and healthy fats.
