Red Meat Kills

According to a long-range study that examined the eating habits and health of more than 100,000 adults for more than 20 years, eating red meat, of any amount and any type, increases the risk of premature death. If eaten daily, a 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat, no bigger than a deck of cards, was associated with a 13% greater chance of dying during the course of the study. This includes pork, which is sometimes described as a "white meat."

Researcher An Pan was surprised at the results of the study because his team had assumed that only processed meat (cold cuts preserved with nitrates) posed a health danger, but in the March 13 edition of the Los Angeles Times, Eryn Brown quotes him as saying, "Any red meat you eat contributes to the risk.

"If you want to eat red meat, eat the unprocessed products, and reduce it to two or three servings a week. That would have a huge impact on public health."

If you start eating more chicken, reach for the drumstick instead of the breast, because it turns out that a nutrient found in the dark meat of poultry may provide protection against coronary heart disease in women with high cholesterol. Coronary heart disease is the leading killer of American men and women, causing one in five deaths.

Taurine, a naturally-occurring nutrient found in the dark meat of turkey and chicken, as well as in some fish and shellfish, is associated with significantly lower heart attack risk among women with high total cholesterol levels. The same association was not seen in women with low cholesterol levels, however.

If you’ve been eating TOO MUCH meat lately, you need Anne Strieber’s famous diet book, "What I Learned From the Fat Years." Using scientific principles, she devised a diet that helped her to lose 100 pounds and YOU CAN TOO. And NOW’S THE TIME–You’ll want to look great for the Dreamland Festival in May, where you’ll have a chance to make new friends, renew old friendships, talk with your favorite Dreamland hosts (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show, and they’ll save 10% on Festival ticket prices too)–but hurry, tickets are selling out fast!