Go for the T-Bone

We've been warned for years now not to eat too much meat because of the fat and cholesterol, but a new Harvard study makes a point in favor of digging into a juicy T-bone. Researchers followed women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study from 1980 to 1994 and now say there isn't any strong evidence that animal and vegetable protein increases your risk of getting ischemic heart disease -- a heart attack.

More than 80,000 women, ages 34 to 59, filled out bi-annual questionnaires about how much meat and other vegetable proteins they ate. The nurses' study is considered a valuable source of information for many types of medical reviews because as health care professionals, nurses tend to be precise and thorough in their responses.

Researchers say that during the 14 years there were 939 cases of major heart attack, a risk rate of about 0.74 percent. The results are adjusted for other heart disease risk factors, such as smoking.

The Harvard study says rather than finding animal protein causes heart attacks, it actually may lower your risk. But the authors caution that because proteins may raise cholesterol and fat levels, you need to be "cautious" about making any changes in your diet.

Check our ThirdAge Healthy Heart Index.