Nierenberg said the increase in meat consumption in developing countries is understandable.
“In the developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, meat can be a tremendous boost to people’s diets. It can provide important nutrients that they weren’t getting before, especially for malnourished populations; and it can really help people, especially children, develop better. But what we’re seeing not just in the industrial world but also in developing countries is over-consumption of meat. Because it’s cheaper than it’s ever been more and more people can consume it,” she said.
People in developed nations continue to eat the most animal products. But the report says the “appetite for animal products is stagnating or declining in many industrial countries.” It attributes that to a growing awareness that diets high in animal fat and meat may contribute to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. For example a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded that red meat consumption is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study said other healthy protein sources are associated with a lower mortality risk.
Some critics of the study say the growing health problems in developed nations have less to do with meat and more to do with a large consumption of sugar.
The co-author of the Worldwatch Institute report has called for a rethinking of meat consumption. That is, eating it just a few times week instead of several times a day; and making meat a part of the meal, not always the main course.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25