Dr. Fuhrman’s position on the consumption of animal products is
pretty clear, meat and diary dairy products leads to disease like heart
disease and cancer. Even “healthy” choices like fish and chicken put you
at risk. Take a look at this section from
Eat to Live:
There is a relationship between animal protein and heart
disease. For example, plasma apolioprotein B is positively associated
with animal-protein intake and inversely associated (lowered) with
vegetable-protein intake (e.g., legumes and greens). Apolioprotein B
levels correlate strongly with coronary heart disease.1 Unknown to many
is that animal proteins have a significant effect on raising cholesterol
levels as well, while plant protein lowers it.2
Scientific studies provide evidence that many animal protein’s effect on
blood cholesterol may be significant. This is one of the reasons those
switching to a low fat-diet do no experience the cholesterol lowering
they expect unless they also remove the low-fat animal products as well.
Surprising to most people is that yes, even low-fat dairy and skinless
white-meat chicken raise cholesterol. I see this regularly in my
practice. Many individuals do not see the dramatic drop in cholesterol
levels unless they go all the way by cutting all animal proteins from
their diet.
According to Dr. Fuhrman white meats are no savior either:
Red met is not the only problem. The consumption of chicken
and fish is also linked to colon cancer. A large recent study examined
the eating habits of 32,000 adults for six years and then watched the
incidence of cancer for these subjects over the next six years. Those
who avoided red meat but at white meat regularly had a more than 300
percent increase in colon cancer incidence.3 The same study showed that
eating beans, peas, or lentils, at least twice a week was associated
with a 50 percent lower risk than never eating these foods.
Chicken has about the same amount of cholesterol as beef, and the
production of those potent cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic
amines (HCAs) are even more concentrated in grilled chicken than in
beef.4 Another recent study from New Zealand that investigated
heterocyclic amines in meat, fish, and chicken found the greatest
contributor of HCAs to cancer risk was chicken.5 Likewise, studies
indicated that chicken is almost as dangerous as red meat for the heart.
Regarding cholesterol, there is no advantage to eating lean white
instead of lean red meat.6
The correlation between disease and consumption of animal products seems very clear. Even
newer research warns of heighten stomach cancer risk associated with eating processed meats, like sausage, smoked ham, and bacon.
Reuters reports:
A review of 15 studies showed the risk of developing stomach
cancer rose by 15 to 38 percent if consumption of processed meats
increased by 30 grams (1 ounce) per day, the Karolinska Institute said
in a statement.
These foods possess cancer-causing additives outside of meat’s normal cancer-causing agents:
The institute said processed meats were often salted or
smoked, or had nitrates added to them, in order to extend their
shelf-life which could be connected to the increased risk of stomach
cancer, the fourth most common type of cancer.
If this information spooked you, you might want to consider
Dr. Fuhrman’s advice, “The best bet for overall health is significantly
limit or eliminated all types of meat—red and white.”
1. Campbell, T.C.,
B. Parpia, and J. Chen. 1990. A plant-enriched diet and long-term
health, particularly in reference to China. Hort. Science 25 (12):
1512-14.
2. Descovich, G.C., C. Ceredi, A. Gaddi, et al. 1980. Multicenter study
of soybean protein diet for outpatient hyper-cholesterolaemic patients.
Lancet 2 (8197): 709-12; Carroll, K. K. 1982. Hypercholesterolemia and
atherosclerosis: effects of dietary protein. Fed. Proc. 41 (11):
2792-96; Sirtori, C. R., G. Noseda, and G.C. Desovich. 1983, Studies on
the use of soybean protein diets for management of human
hyperlipoproteins, in Gibney, M.J., and D. Kritchevsky, eds. Animal and
vegetable proteins in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. New York:
Liss, 135-48; Sirtori, C.R., C. Zucchidentone, M. Sirtori, et al. 1985.
Cholesterol-lowering and HDL raising properties of lecithinated soy
proteins in type II hyperlipidemic patients. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 29 (6):
348-57; Gaddi, A., A Ciarrocchi, A. Matteucci, et al. 1991. Dietary
treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia—differential effects of
dietary soy protein according to the apoprotein E Phenotypes. Am. J.
Clin. Nutr. 53: 1191-96; Carroll, K.K. 1983. Dietary proteins and amino
acids—their effects on cholesterol metabolism, in Gibney, M.J., and D.
Kritchevshy, eds. Animal and vegetable proteins in lipid metabolism and
atherosclerosis. New York: Liss, 9-17; Jenkins, D.J., C. W. Kendall,
C.C. Mehling, et al. 1999. Combined effect of vegetable protein (soy)
and soluble fiber added to a standard cholesterol-lowering diet.
Metabolism 48 (6): 809-16; Anderson, J. W., B.M. Johnstone, and M.E.
Cook-Newell. 1995. Meta-analysis of the effects of soy protein intake on
serum lipids. N. Eng. J. Med. 333 (5): 276-82; Satoh, A., M. Hitomi,
and K. Igarashi. 1995. Effects of spinach leaf protein concentrate on
the serum cholesterol and amino acids concentrations in rats fed a
cholesterol-free diet. J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol. (Tokyo) 41 (5):563-73.
3. Singh, P.N., and G.E. Fraser. 1998. Dietary risk factors for colon
cancer in a low-risk population. Am. J. Epidem. 148: 761-74.
4. Sinha, R., N. Rothman, E.D. Brown, et al. 1995. High concentration of
the carcinogens 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo-[4,5] pyridine (PhIP)
occur in chicken but are dependent on the cooking method. Cancer Res. 55
(20):4516-19.
5. Thomson, B. 1999. Heterocyclic amine levels in cooked meat and the
implication for New Zealanders. Eur. J. Cancer Prev. 8 (3):201-06.
6. Davidson, M.H., D. Hunninghake, K.C. Maki, et al. 1999. Comparison of
the effects of lean red meat vs. lean white meat on serum lipid levels
among free-living person with hypercholesterolemia: a long-term,
randomized clinical trial. Arch. Intern. Med. 159 (12): 1331-38.
