Study mistaken over meat in Mediterranean diet
16/08/2013
Dr Carrie Ruxton, who has also worked as a senior lecturer at the University of Westminster in London, applauded the authors of the AJCN study for suggesting that following a Mediterranean-style diet, full of olive oil, fruit, vegetables, oily fish and wholegrains, could add 15 years to people’s lives. But she took them to task for saying eating less red meat was part of this.
She said: “I disagree with the authors that you need to eat less red meat to enjoy the benefits of Mediterranean-style foods. Average intakes of meat in Italy, France, and Spain are generally higher than in the UK, illustrating that low meat consumption is not part of a Mediterranean diet.”
Red meat contains a number of protective nutrients, such as B-vitamins, iron, the antioxidant selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids, she continued. She also pointed out that, thanks to modern farming methods, meat is lower than ever in fat and saturated fat. “Evidence on the specific types of fatty acids in meat suggests that they have no impact on blood cholesterol levels,” she said.
The AJCN report appeared in 2011.
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