March 12/Boston/NBC News -- A new study from the highly respected researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health offers some of the best and most detailed evidence yet that a daily serving of meat can increase risk of heart disease or cancer.
The Harvard scientists followed almost 84,000 women and 38,000 men in the Nurse’s Health Study and Health Professional’s Follow-Up Study for 28 years. It found those eating a daily serving of red meat were 13% more likely to die in the study period, and approximately 14% more likely to develop heart disease or cancer. Those numbers go up to 20% more deaths and an estimated 18% more heart problems and cancer for those who reported eating a daily serving of processed meats such as hot dogs, salami and bacon.