Tucking into a juicy steak may furnish meat lovers with a good dose of protein, but it could also be an early one-way ticket to the afterlife, according to Harvard Medical School researchers.

On average, a daily serving of red meat boosted the risk of heart disease death by around 19.5 per cent, and the risk of dying from cancer by 13 per cent

Numerous studies have harped on the harmful effects of red meat, but this report actually established that any type and any amount significantly increased the risk of premature death.

Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine three weeks ago, the research saw more than 121,000 doctors and nurses enrolled in two large studies that tracked their eating and lifestyle habits, as well as their health outcomes – including incidence of heart disease, stroke, cancer and death –for up to 22 years.

The results found that an additional single serving of meat a day (about the size of a deck of cards) contributed to a 13 per cent increased risk of dying. Worse still, an added serving of processed red meat a day (a hot dog or two slices of bacon) increased the risk of dying during the study period by 20 per cent. Much of that risk was due to heart problems.

The BBC interviewed a CambridgeUniversity biostatistician who established that if a person ate a portion of red meat every day he would be robbed of one year of their life, which is equivalent to losing 30 minutes a day.

This should be welcome news forcarnivores deflated by such starkstatistics and who are willing to sacrifice half an hour of their life for a redmeat fix

Also comforting is that the study showed how healthier alternatives – such as fish, chicken, nuts and whole grains – could help erase the damage. Substituting one serving a day of red meat with one of these sources of protein lowered the risk of dying over two decades by up to 19 per cent.

However, these positive effects may be lost on the Maltese who are dedicated meat lovers and generally turn up their nose at fish, despite being surrounded by the sea.

Malta’s Household Budgetary Survey of 2008 showed a typical household spent most of its annual budget dedicated to food and non-alcoholic beverages (21 per cent) on meat, with just five per centallocated to fish.

Although there is no precise data on rates of consumption of red and processed meats, National Statistics Office figures show Maltese consumed 1.1 million kilograms of locally-produced fresh beef last year.

However, these do not include figures for imported meat, which is believed to be very high.

Robert Xuereb

– cardiologist

Fish should be consumed four times a week

This paper confirmed what we already knew – that red meat increases the risk of heart disease. I’m not surprised by the results and, as cardiologists, we have been trying to increase awareness about the effects of red and processed meat worldwide.

I don’t think the study is alarmist as it’s a well thought out scientific paper that followed 121,000 doctors and nurses over 22 years. We believe the harm of eating red meat comes mainly from saturated fats; having said that, it could be something we have yet to quantify.

Whatever the reason, we now know consuming red meat daily will increase your risk of death.

Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in Malta. Ideally, we should limit our intake of red meat to one portion a week and avoid processed meat. Fish is very healthy and should be consumed four times a week, according to the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiology.

This should be combined with more exercise, quitting smoking, avoiding salt and keeping weight in check.

Maltese children and adults have among the highest rates of obesity in the world, and eating habits have to change.

John Briffa

– medical doctor

I don’t encourage people to stop eating red meat

Red meat kills? It’s flagrant bias that is killing me. Just because two things (e.g. red meat and death) are associated does not mean one is causing the other.

For example, people who eat more red and processed meat might also smoke more. Or perhaps they are more likely to be obese and sedentary. Somebody with an ideological stance cherry picks without looking at the totality of evidence.

Might the authors of the study have been committed (even unconsciously) to finding a link between red meat and worse health outcomes, and were perhaps disinclined to let anything get in the way of that finding and the message that we should be eating less meat?

We don’t know what a safe amount of meat to eat is so this is my personal opinion: I do not limit fresh meat or restrict it; on the contrary, I see it as part of a healthy element in a good diet, together with fish, vegetables, fruitand nuts.

I don’t encourage people to stop eating red meat, although there is a stronger argument to avoid processed meat. It’s best to choose fresh/frozen cuts.

People have become jaded about such reports and feel they cannot necessarily rely on scientists to provide the absolute truth.

Claire Copperstone

– nutritionist

No need to cut out all red meats but balance its consumption

The study makes us think and ask whether red meat is beneficial or actually harmful.

Red meat is a good source of iron, zinc and high biological value protein which plant proteins do not provide. Processed meats are more worrying.

The study’s methodology could have some bias, as it was not a review paper and only incorporated one study from one population.

Any study taken on its own will have some bias and there could be some other confounding variables contributing to the deaths, rather than just red meats, that were not factored in.

We do not have data on rates of meat consumption in Malta and this has to be the first step we take before laying down any guidelines on its reduction.

The food guide pyramid has been revised recently and adjusted to a plate model with half containing fruit and vegetables and the other half containing grains and meat, with just one glass of milk or other dairy product daily.

Red meats (processed and unprocessed), especially cheap cuts, contain saturated fats, which have long been implicated in heart disease.

There is no need to cut out all red meats but balance their consumption and substitute with other low-fat, high-fibre, protein-rich foods.