We use cookies

By using www.agricultureandfood.co.uk, you agree to the use of cookies. We use cookies to improve usability and for website statistics. You can read more about our privacy and cookie policy here.

(Not) all publicity is good publicity

The meat industry continues to enjoy a ‘roller coaster’ ride in the media, whose appetite for ‘scare stories’ remains undiminished.

According to reports in the Daily Mail and Telegraph, research from the University of California links higher levels of consumption of meat and iron supplements to increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in later life. Although iron is essential for proper cell function in the body, high levels of iron may contribute to brain tissue damage, according to the researchers. 

On the more positive side, Global Meat News tracked down a US research paper, which advanced the hypothesis that modern diets, which are low in red meat and natural fats, may be contributing to increasingly violent behaviour, anger and depression among US teenagers. The author of the paper entitled 'Violent Behaviour: A Solution in Plain Sight' is Sylvia Onusic PhD and her article appeared in the magazine, ‘Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts’. It is the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, who advocate a return to traditional diets based on real, nutrient dense foods, rather than overly processed foods, which form such a significant part of modern diets.

The meat industry continues to use the services of its Meat Advisory Panel to provide “independent and objective information about red meat and its role as part of a healthy, balanced diet”. The conclusions of a study undertaken by the British Nutrition Foundation were published as a document entitled 'Red meat and the seven ages of man' to highlight the valuable nutritional contribution made by moderate consumption of lean red meat through the most important human life stages.