Red Tooth and Claw
Another depressing finding about my favorite food:
A new study of more than 500,000 Americans….. found that, other things being equal, the men and women who consumed the most red and processed meat were likely to die sooner, especially from one of our two leading killers, heart disease and cancer.
I agree with you John. It’s time for some pro-red meat studies.
Study based on NIH-AARP sample. Here is how they got the data on the 500,000 people:
Between 1995 and 1996 mail 3.5 million questionnaires to members of AARP aged 50-71 who resided in CA, FL, PA, NH, NC, and LA or in Atlanta or Detroit.
Take the 500,000 questionnaires returned, in 1996-1997 mail a risk-factor questionnaire to ask additional set of questions. In 2004-2006 mail another questionnaire.
This sample is so representative that almost 45 percent of the men in it say they have a college or postgraduate degree (and men make up 60 percent of the AARP sample even though there are more women over 65 in the US than men). What fraction of the US population has a college degree? About 25 percent.
Where’s my T-Bone?
I tend to look at this issue form the ethical point of view. I try to eat only those creatures that eat other creatures. How can you justify eating a harmless plant that cause no harm to any other living thing?
According to one famous Zen Buddhist writer, “…when we kill vegetables they don’t scream so loud.”