Age May Alter Cancer-Death Risk from Meat

Eating more meat in middle age may increase people’s risk of death, particularly from cancer, a new study finds. But older adults who ate more protein lived longer than those who ate less. The study was based on diet surveys from more than 6,800 adults. Researchers kept track of deaths during the next 18 years. People were divided into 2 groups: middle aged (50-65) or older (over 65). Diets with at least 20% of calories from protein were classified as high-protein. Middle-aged people with high-protein diets were 75% more likely to die during the study period than those with low-protein diets (less than 10% of calories). They were 4 times as likely to die of cancer. Cancer-death risk was 3 times as high in the moderate-protein group (10% to 19% of calories). Most protein came from meat and dairy products.