Is red meat back on the menu?

New recommendations published in the Annals of Internal Medicine last October have caused quite a stir. According to these experts, we may not actually need to reduce the amount of red meat we eat.

Adults should apparently "continue their current consumption of both unprocessed red meat and processed meat". These recommendations are not a little surprising given the constant repeated advice to the contrary that has been published by health organisations over the years.

The panel of researchers delivering this advice proceeded by re-examining dozens of studies that advised limiting red and processed meat consumption to prevent cancer and heart disease. What they found was that, while their results did not wholly differ from those published up until now, their interpretation and reasoning was entirely new, and completely unexpected.

Rather than declaring meat safe, they cited many reasons why the potential benefits of reducing consumption could actually not be obtained – including pleasure, culture, and uncertainty surrounding how vegetarian meals have been prepared. That being said, is there any harm in continuing to try?