Is red meat safe?

Introduction

Red meat consumption is often vilified, but the evidence for the health harms of unprocessed red meat is not entirely clear cut. Studies that attempt to account for its impact on health are imperfect, and occasionally contradictory. Thoughtful individuals might reasonably wonder: can any of this be trusted? 

Many medical studies, particularly regarding specific dietary components, are only able to establish a correlation between consumption and various health outcomes. In order to get robust enough data–a large enough cohort to test, over a long enough time period for meaningful differences in outcome to occur–certain compromises must be made to how the experiment is run. Many dietary studies are, by necessity, self-reported (meaning participants record their own consumption data), and they may not be able to fully account for all potential complicating factors (such as other positive or negative health habits, environmental factors, or genetic predispositions). 

However, we believe that there are good reasons to limit your overall intake of red meat, and that the science supports this recommendation, a stance we’ll explain in more depth here.

What health risks have been linked to red meat (and how convincingly)?

While studies regarding red meat consumption may individually be imperfect, certain health outcomes are consistently demonstrated across several studies. This may not definitively prove causation, but an abundance of correlative studies is highly suggestive; it’s important to note that widely accepted medical beliefs today–such as the health risks of smoking–were initially brought to light through observational studies.^[1] 

Several specific health harms have been linked to red meat, some more convincingly than others: 

• Heart Disease: Multiple major studies have linked red meat consumption to cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis in the European Heart Journal^[2]; a University of Oxford meta-analysis of 13 studies that included over 1.4 million people^[3]; and a meta-analysis of 6 cohort studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine^[4], to name a few. While the precise degree of risk attached to red meat consumption is not clear, the link between higher red meat consumption and higher incidence of heart disease has been shown again and again.
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• High blood pressure: While certain studies have tied red meat consumption to increased blood pressure^[5], others have found that moderate consumption of lean red meat actually correlates with decreased blood pressure^[6]. While high blood pressure is a significant health risk, more study is necessary to determine what impact–if any–red meat has on the condition.

• Cancer risk: Studies have tied red meat consumption to a number of different cancers. The world cancer research fund convened a panel of experts to review over 100 studies, and concluded that there was “strong evidence” that red meat increases colorectal cancer risk^[7]. A similar panel determined that for lung cancer, the evidence was more limited, but “suggestive.” While the precise degree of impact on liver cancer is unclear, and while some studies have had flawed designs, multiple studies have consistently shown that higher red meat consumption correlates with higher rates of liver cancer diagnosis.^[8] Both large-cohort individual studies and meta-analyses of multiple previous studies^[9] have linked pancreatic cancer to increased red meat consumption. We could go on–studies have also tied red meat consumption to breast,^[10] prostate,^[11] and brain cancer,^[12] as well as to some forms of leukemia.^[13] While the specific level of risk relative to any given type of cancer is still unclear, the volume of studies showing positive correlation between red meat consumption and cancer is highly convincing.
  
  
• Type 2 diabetes: A large 2024 meta-analysis^[14] linked higher red meat consumption to higher rates of type 2 diabetes. While the study had some strengths–notably its size; it included nearly 2 million participants–the association was relatively small, and inconsistent across some of the various sub-cohorts being analyzed. This is not the only study to report a link between red meat consumption and type 2 diabetes, however. A study at the Harvard School of Public Health reached a similar conclusion in 2023,^[15] as had earlier studies. While it’s possible that the impact of red meat on type 2 diabetes has been overstated–even significantly–it is at least highly plausible that there is a real link between consumption and the condition.

Possible explanations for red meat’s health impacts

While the precise degree of impact on any given health condition is still unclear, there are several plausible explanations for the observed effects of red meat consumption: 

• Heme iron: The iron found in red meat is primarily heme iron, a much more absorbable form of the vital nutrient, and one which may be able to form n-nitroso compounds in the digestive tract.^[16] N-nitroso compounds are known carcinogens,^[17] and are found in substances such as cigarette smoke. Heme iron may also create a pro-oxidative environment in the body,^[18] converting other elements in the body into free radicals and leading to oxidative stress and tissue damage.
  
  
• Cooking methods: Cooking meat at high temperatures or over an open flame (such as on a grill) creates heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), both known carcinogens. It’s important to note that these elements are not intrinsic to red meat–they’re a result of a “good char” on the surface of a piece of meat. This source of risk can be reduced or avoided by choosing a different cooking method.
  
  
• Saturated fat content: Red meat is known to contain relatively high levels of saturated fat, even in leaner cuts. Older studies have linked saturated fat to a wide variety of health problems, but more recent science indicates that, while high fat diets are potentially risky, saturated fat consumed in moderation may not carry any particular harms.^[19] The potential role of saturated fat in carcinogenesis requires further study, but its significant presence in red meat means that anyone targeting moderate levels of overall dietary fats should be aware of their red meat consumption. 

Considerations that have yet to be addressed

While there is real reason for concern with excessive red meat consumption, it’s vital to remember that there are important health benefits as well. Heme iron is most easily absorbed by the body, and for many it’s difficult to get enough of this important nutrient without some red meat in their diet. Red meat also contains multiple vitamins and minerals–such as zinc, B12, and selenium–and is an excellent source of protein.^[20] 

It’s also important to note yet again that studies involving red meat’s impact on human health are limited, and often flawed. One major area of differentiation that lacks real study is the quality of meat. 

Some studies fail to even differentiate between unprocessed and processed versions of red meat, and to date, no studies examining the health impacts of red meat make a distinction between, for example, grass-fed whole cuts of beef and factory-farmed ground chuck. It’s possible the health implications of red meat vary significantly based on the meat’s source; grass-fed beef is known to have a healthier lipid profile and more precursors to antioxidants than grain-fed alternatives.^[21] The impact of something like the presence or absence of a livestock antibiotic regimen might widen the gap in the nutritional profiles of red meat even further. 

While it’s currently impossible to know how much a higher quality of red meat shifts the needle on its health impacts, however, the abundance of studies tying specific negative health outcomes to red meat consumption, as well as the mechanisms that could explain these impacts, indicate that moderation is the wisest course.