“Based on the research, we cannot say with any certainty that eating red or processed meat causes cancer, diabetes or heart disease,” concluded Bradley Johnston, an associate professor of community health at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, after leading a study into the health concerns around red meat. The findings, however, have caused controversy among experts who say people need to cut down. “This report has layers of flaws and is the most egregious abuse of evidence that I have ever seen,” said Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Dr Giota Mitrou, director of research at the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “The message people need to hear is that we should be eating no more than three portions of red meat a week and avoiding processed meat altogether. We stand by our rigorous research of the last 30 years and urge the public to follow the current recommendations on red and processed meat.