Researchers suggest the evidence does not support scientific claims that meat harms human health. Instead, they say, meat supplies high-quality protein and various nutrients — some of which are not always easily obtained with meat-free diets.
Humans and their ancestors have consumed meat for more than three million years. Yet, in the past few years, there’s been a noticeable societal push towards meat-free or vegan diets backed by studies suggesting a link between meat consumption and many health conditions.
For example, meat has been blamed for urinary tract infections and a host of other health conditions, such as heart disease and cancer.
Moreover, scientists claim that in 2019, diets high in red meat were responsible for nearly 900,000 deaths worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study, published in The Lancet in 2020.
However, a group of researchers warn that the science behind these claims is fatally flawed and say the societal push towards meat-free and vegan diets is detrimental to human health.
As part of their effort to ‘set the record straight’ on the health attributes of meat consumption, they created The Dublin Declaration of Scientists to give researchers from around the world a voice in the ongoing meat debate.
The declaration — signed by nearly 1,000 scientists — is accompanied by nine research papers addressing the role meat plays in societal wellbeing and human health.
Source : Health News