Meat has long been a staple of the human diet. Now, its impact on health has come under increasing scrutiny. Excessive consumption of red meat is often linked to cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer.
These associations have influenced both dietary recommendations and people’s understanding of healthy eating. If you look only at media headlines, you might get the impression that the less meat you eat, the better. However, treating meat solely as a potential health risk overlooks the reason why it has come to occupy such an important place on the human diet in the first place.
What does meat provide for the body?
When discussing the impact of meat on health, the conversation quickly turns to saturated fats and cholesterol. But what gets left out of this discussion? Often, some of the most essential micronutrients that the body actually needs.
Meat contains a wide range of compounds essential for the body: essential amino acids, vitamin B₁₂, iron, zinc, and many other nutrients. With these, it’s not just the quantity that matters, but also how much of it the body is able to absorb during digestion.
Is the protein found in meat special in any way?
Proteins are made up of amino acids, some of which the body can synthesize on its own, while others must be obtained from food. Those that the body cannot synthesize on its own are called essential amino acids.
The proteins in the muscle tissue of chicken, beef, pork, and lamb contain all nine essential amino acids. Why are they necessary? The body uses them constantly to repair tissues and to produce enzymes, hormones, and antibodies for the immune system.
This does not mean that all the necessary amino acids cannot be obtained from plant-based foods. It is entirely possible, but excluding meat from your diet requires a more informed and varied meal plan to ensure you get enough protein and all the essential amino acids.
What might be missing if you cut out meat?
Vitamin B₁₂ – nervous system and blood formation. Essential for the normal functioning of the nervous system and red blood cells.
Iron – oxygen transport. Iron is needed by hemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen from the lungs to tissues and muscles. If iron stores run low, workouts may feel unexpectedly harder and your heart rate may rise faster than usual.
Zinc – recovery and the immune system. Zinc is necessary for protein synthesis, tissue repair, and immune system function. In animal-based foods, it is readily available to the body.
Nutritional value depends not only on the types of nutrients present but also on their bioavailability.
Heme and non-heme iron
Spinach, lentils, and beef all contain iron, but the body does not absorb it in the same way. The reason is simple: iron is found in food in two different forms—heme and non-heme.
Heme iron is found in animal tissues, such as beef and liver. The body absorbs it more efficiently, and other foods in the diet have less of an impact on its absorption.
Non-heme iron is found primarily in plant-based foods. Its absorption depends more on what you eat or drink at the same time. Vitamin C, for example, helps non-heme iron get absorbed, while phytates found in plants can reduce its absorption.
Plant-based iron is by no means useless, but the iron content and the amount actually absorbed are not always the same.
Meat and Health Risks—What Do Studies Show?
First of all, what kind of meat product are we even talking about?
Headlines may simply say “meat,” but this term encompasses everything from ground meat and beef steaks to sausages and hot dogs. From a nutritional standpoint, these are not the same thing.
Unprocessed red meat includes, for example, beef, pork, and lamb that has not been salted, smoked, or fermented for preservation. Processed meat includes hot dogs, sausages, bacon, and ham. However, these often contain more salt and compounds formed during processing that are not present in fresh meat in the same form.
When a study discusses the health risks of meat, the first thing to consider is what type of meat was actually being studied.
Is a hot dog really as dangerous as a cigarette?
In 2015, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen (World Health Organization [WHO], 2015). Incidentally, this group also includes tobacco and asbestos, and headlines quickly emerged that might have given the impression that a slice of sausage is comparable to a cigarette.
However, that is not what this classification actually means. Group 1 indicates that there is sufficient evidence of a carcinogenic effect of a substance or product. It does not indicate how high the risk is or how strongly carcinogenic something is.
According to the IARC, daily consumption of 50 grams of processed meat was associated with an approximately 18% increase in the relative risk of colorectal cancer (International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC], 2018). This does not mean that a single 50-gram serving would immediately increase a person’s risk by 18% or that 18% of meat eaters would develop cancer. This refers to the difference in relative risk associated with long-term and regular consumption.
But what about unprocessed red meat?
In this case, the study results are not as clear. An analysis published in the journal *Nature Medicine* in 2022 found only a weak association between unprocessed red meat and ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer (Lescinsky et al., 2022). A weak association does not mean there is no potential risk, but rather that, based on existing studies, the magnitude of the risk cannot be determined with certainty.
Furthermore, most of these findings come from observational studies. Researchers track what people eat and what diseases they develop later in life. Such a study may show an association, but it cannot always prove that meat was the direct cause of the disease. Physical activity, smoking, body weight, and the rest of the diet also play a role.
A correlation can be an important clue, but it is not yet proof of a direct cause.
The results also depend on what the meat is replaced with. Replacing beef with fish, nuts, or legumes does not yield the same results as replacing it with french fries or refined carbohydrates.
Risks depend on quantity, type, and frequency of consumption
The health effects of any food cannot be assessed without considering the amount consumed and the rest of the diet. Even foods generally considered healthy are not meant to be eaten in unlimited quantities. If a single food item begins to make up too large a portion of the diet, other essential food groups and nutrients may be neglected as a result.
This doesn’t make all foods equally risky, but it illustrates why a single food cannot always be labeled as healthy or harmful, regardless of how much or how often it is eaten.
What can we take away from this?
The body does not specifically need beef, chicken, or pork; it needs the amino acids, iron, zinc, vitamin B₁₂, and other nutrients they contain.
These can also be obtained through a well-planned plant-based diet, fortified foods, and, if necessary, dietary supplements. This is entirely possible, but it requires a more varied and thoughtfully planned diet.
My goal here was to show that meat is a nutrient-rich food that should not be underestimated, and that omitting it always requires well-thought-out substitutes.
It’s also worth choosing unprocessed meat, because a fresh cut of meat and a hot dog are not the same thing from a nutritional standpoint. Unprocessed meat provides high-quality protein, heme iron, vitamin B₁₂, and zinc all at once, which support both the body’s daily functions and recovery from exercise. Getting enough of these nutrients is especially important for active people whose bodies have to cope with greater physical demands.
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