Lesson 100 : [ Eating too much Red Meat Increases Death Risk ]

[맨투맨 전화영어]

Lesson 100 : Eating too much Red Meat Increases Death Risk

A recent study conducted by American researchers revealed that eating large amounts of red and processed meat increases mortality risk from heart disease and cancer. The researchers studied more than 545,000 people in the U.S., ages 50 to 71 years old, for over 10 years.

The survey, which focused on their eating habits, recorded more than 70,000 deaths during that period. The researchers took other risk factors into consideration in the analysis such as smoking, family history of cancer and high body mass index.

Lead researcher Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute said the findings show that consuming too much red meat like that found in hamburgers and processed meats like hot dogs and bacon, increases cancer risk. On the other hand, people who ate more white meat like chicken and fish had lower risks of death.

“Eating a quarter-pound hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease,” said Sinha. “Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease than women who ate less,” he added.

Barry Popkin, director of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Center at the University of North Carolina, wrote in an accompanying editorial that reducing red meat intake would have benefits beyond improved health.

“Livestock increase greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming,” Popkin wrote. “We’ve promoted a diet that has added excessively to global warming,” he said in an interview.

According to Elisabetta Politi of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in North Carolina, reducing red meat and increasing fruits and vegetables in the diet can be easy. “I’m not saying that everybody should turn into vegetarians,” said Politi. “Meat should be a supporting actor on the plate, not the main character. Lean meat as part of a balanced diet can prevent chronic disease, along with exercise and avoiding smoking.”

The findings appear in last Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine.

(31-03-2009)

***Vocabulary

l       mortality

l       emissions

l       chronic

***Discussion Questions

1. On average, how many days of the week do you eat red meat? What about white meat?

Do you think you should reduce the amount of red meat consumption after reading this article?

2. One of Korean people’s favorite menu is 삼겹살. With this information, do you think people would eat less of it? Or, they wouldn’t care too much because it is so delicious?

3. How are you health-conscious on a daily basis? Do you watch what you eat, try to exercise on a regular basis, avoid smoking and drinking?

4. What kind of food do you love to eat, but try not to eat much because of health reason? Or, what kind of food do you not like to eat, yet try to eat more because it’s good for you?

5. Do you feel that you care more about the food you consume as you get older?

6. There are all kinds of health foods available in stores. Is there anything you eat or take

regularly? What is it and do you feel that you have gotten benefit from it?

7. Do you think temperature correlates to the amount of meat people consume?

8. Have you ever tried meat substitutes?  How were they?

9. Would Koreans embrace a bean/meat diet?

10. Have you noticed a growing trend in obesity among Koreans and/ or children because red meats and processed meats are more accessible?

11. How long have you ever gone without eating meat?  How did you feel?