Consumer Group Cautions Against Jumping To Conclusions In Response To Anti-Meat Study

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 24 Mar 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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Today the Archives of Internal Medicine will publish "Meat Intake and Mortality," a study from a National Cancer Institute team of epidemiologists. The study's authors claim to have found a relationship between meat consumption and the overall risk of death for white Americans over 50.

But their own data indicate that smoking and a lack of physical activity are strong predictors of early death-facts which have been known for decades. And according to "Meat Intake and Mortality," there is even a relationship between marriage and the risk of death.

Today David Martosko, the Director of Research at the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom, cautioned reporters and policymakers against jumping to conclusions in response to this study's statistical assumptions and vague measurements.

"It's ridiculous to try to separate our diets from our lifestyles," Martosko said. "Nobody eats in a vacuum, and countless variables go into figuring out when we die. This study's data connect mortality with smoking, a lack of exercise, taking daily vitamins, and even marriage. It's silly to suggest that any single factor is the biggest one."

Martosko continued: "Americans should eat a variety of foods, including meat, dairy, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. All things in moderation. Move your body to burn calories. Take the stairs. Sweat a little. Don't smoke. Anything beyond this kind of simple advice is pure guesswork."

Center for Consumer Freedom
P.O. Box 34557
Washington, DC 20043
United States