Eating meat and dairy will kill you as fast as smoking 20 cigarettes a day. That's the alarmist message of a study recently published by the University of Southern California's Davis School of Gerontology.
Researchers found that people who ate diets high in animal protein in middle age were at a high risk of dying early. As high as that of a regular smoker.
“There’s a misconception that because we all eat, understanding nutrition is simple," said lead researcher Dr. Valter Longo. "But the question is not whether a certain diet allows you to do well for three days, but can it help you survive to be 100?”
Longo claims that animal protein can be particularly harmful as we age, increasing our risk of contracting diabetes or even cancer. According to an article in Global, the findings have since been derided by health and medical experts for being unsubstantiated, particularly the dramatic parallel drawn between eating meat and smoking.
The sample of 6,318 American between 50 and 65 years old were followed for over two decades; 74 per cent of those with diets heavy on protein were likely to die younger than those with a lower protein consumption.
However, the sample didn't take into account socioeconomic or preexisting health factors. The study also failed to differentiate between protein such as a skinless chicken breast or steamed fish and bacon or sausage.
My ethos is everything in moderation. And that includes bacon. Who wants to live to 100, anyway...
See how a teacher managed to lose weight while eating nothing but this fast food.
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