Red meat consumption is too high in the United Kingdom according to the Department of Health. Citing information and backing recommendations from their Scientific Advisory Committee, the U.K.s Department of Health is asking people to cut down on the amount of red meat they're consuming.
Connecting red and processed meats to increased bowel cancer risks, the Scientific Advisory Committee last week asked for daily intake limits to be cut to about 70 grams per day. The committee estimates that most men in the U.K. are regularly consuming more than 90 grams of meat daily.
Bowel cancer is a problem in the United Kingdom just as it is in the United States. There are more than 36,000 cases of bowel cancer in the U.K. each year, with more than 16,500 deaths annually from the disease.
In the United Kingdom, bowel cancer is the second most deadly cancer each year.
Sally Davies is the Department of Healths interim chief medical officer. She emphasized that while a reduction in red meat was recommended eliminating red meat from diets was not ideal.
Red meat can be part of a healthy balanced diet. It is a good source of protein and vitamins and minerals, such as iron, selenium, zinc and B vitamins, she explained.
But people who eat a lot of red and processed meat should consider cutting down. The occasional steak or extra few slices of lamb is fine, but regularly eating a lot could increase your risk of bowel cancer, Davies later warned.
