Harvard Study of 43,000 Men: Red Meat Linked to Higher Heart Disease, Plant Protein to Lower

Each daily serving of red meat was linked to a 12% higher risk of coronary heart disease in a 30-year Harvard study of 43,272 men. Swapping that serving for nuts, legumes or soy was linked to a 14% lower risk.

Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, led by Dr. Laila Al-Shaar with senior author Professor Walter Willett, followed men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986 to 2016, recording 4,456 heart disease events. The results are published in The BMJ.

Processed red meat was linked to a 15% higher risk per daily serving and unprocessed red meat to 11%. Replacing processed red meat with plant protein foods was linked to a 17% lower risk. Whole grains and dairy in place of red meat were also linked to lower risk. The men were mostly white health professionals.

The authors conclude:

Substituting high quality plant foods such as legumes, nuts, or soy for red meat might reduce the risk of CHD.

A handful of walnuts, a lentil soup or a tofu stir-fry in place of a steak is an easy swap to make.

It follows February's pooled study of 30,000 Americans that linked processed and red meat to higher heart disease and death risk, and last year's Harvard finding that eating more red meat is linked to a 10% higher risk of death.

One easy swap at a time, your heart wins.