Diet-related illness increases with availability of red meat

As global trade in red and processed meats has increased, so have chronic diseases associated with meat consumption, a study looking at data from 154 countries found on Thursday.

Researchers focused on illness and death rates from three diseases strongly linked to red and processed meat consumption: colorectal cancer, type-2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

They drew on meat import and export figures from the FAO to find out where in the world red and processed meats had become more available.

They then checked these findings against health data from the Global Burden of Disease project.

"The increased intake of red and processed meat products via trade caused the abrupt increase of diet-related non-communicable diseases," the study published in the British Medical Journal concluded.

The adverse effects of a diet high in red and processed meats is well known.

But the international trade of these products also has far-reaching impacts on the climate, through greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss, through shrinking habitat, the study noted.

They calculated a worldwide increase in related deaths of nearly 75 percent between 1993 and 2018, with major variations by geographical region. While they estimated a 55 percent rise in related deaths in developed countries, the rate of increase in developing countries was more than double: 157 percent.

"These higher rates are because many developing countries around the world exponentially relied on red and processed meat imports to meet their increased meat demands under rapid urbanisation and income growth," the study says.