University of Adelaide study backs eating meat for living longer

The great diet divide between vegans and meat lovers has taken a twist with a University of Adelaide global study backing meat for longer life expectancy — and panning some pro-vegan studies.

A landmark Adelaide study has concluded that “meat consumption correlates to greater life expectancy.”

Its authors also warn that “cereal-based foods have lower nutritional value than meat.”

While a vegan revolution has been underway, study author, University of Adelaide researcher in biomedicine Dr Wenpeng You, says humans have evolved and thrived over millions of years because of their significant consumption of meat.

Dr You is part of a global team of researchers which found meat offers important benefits for overall human health and life expectancy.

“We wanted to look more closely at research that has thrown a negative spotlight on meat consumption in the human diet,” Dr You said.

“Looking only at correlations of meat consumption with people’s health or life expectancy within a particular group, and or, a particular region or country, can lead to complex and misleading conclusions.

A diet with fruit, vegetables and meat can extend life expectanc. Picture:Tolga Akmen / AFP

“Our team broadly analysed the correlations between meat eating and life expectancy, and child mortality, at global and regional levels, minimising the study bias, and making our conclusion more representative of the general health effects of meat eating.”

Published in the International Journal of General Medicine, the study examined the overall health effects of meat consumption in more than 170 countries.

It found meat consumption correlates to greater life expectancy, independent of the competing effects of total calories intake, economic affluence, urban advantages, and obesity.

It also found consumption of energy from carbohydrate crops — grains and tubers — does not lead to greater life expectancy.

Dr You noted detrimental effects of meat consumption on health have been found in some studies in the past, but said “the methods and findings in these studies are controversial and circumstantial.”

Study senior author University of Adelaide Emeritus Professor, Maciej Henneberg said humans have adapted to meat-eating during more than two million years of evolution.

“Meat provided optimal nutrition to our ancestors who developed genetic, physiological, and morphological adaptations to eating meat products and we have inherited those adaptations,” he said.

“But with the strong development of nutrition science and economic affluence, studies in some populations in developed countries have associated meat-free — vegetarian and vegan — diets with improved health.”

Study nutritionist Yanfei Ge said studies into the diets of wealthy, highly educated communities, look at people who have the purchasing power and the knowledge to select plant-based diets that access the full nutrients normally contained in meat.

“Essentially, they have replaced meat with all the same nutrition meat provides,” she said.

Study co-author University of Adelaide anthropologist Dr Arthur Saniotis said the findings are in line with other studies showing cereal-based foods have lower nutritional value than meat.

consumed in moderation — and the meat industry is conducted in an ethical way.