Balancing the health risks and benefits of red meat

For many decades, red meat has been habitually consumed by a majority of adults in Western Europe. In recent years, however, there has been a noticeable rise in the number of published reports associating the consumption of red and processed meat with two major diseases affecting affluent society, namely cardiovascular disease (CVD) and colorectal cancer. Although there are many such reports, closer inspection of these studies has shown that their design is often flawed and the consistency of data is poor. To establish a more balanced public health message it has become increasingly important to evaluate the benefits as well as the risks of red meat consumption.