title: To eat or not to eat meat. That is the question
abstract: Meat is a well accepted food with appreciable appealing. Due to its high nutritional value it plays a central role in human development. Meat/meat derivates are important sources of proteins, minerals and vitamins. Their nutritional importance is paralleled to their economic impact. Paying attention to the social alarm originated by a recent publication of WHO about the relationship between red and/or processed meat consumption and cancer, this paper reviews the following aspects: a) the present consumption of meat/meat products in Spain; b) the contribution of their macro/micronutrients to the recommended dietary allowances; c) the obliged use of additives (e.g. nitrites and nitrates) to warrant the food safety, and their daily intake. In addition health risks derived from a high consumption, as well as the most appropriate culinary uses in order to reduce the formation of toxic products (e.g. N-nitrosocompounds) are commented. Due to the huge variety of available meat products, this paper concludes that any generalization should be avoided. We also emphasize about the advantages of consuming meat/meat products in the frame of a Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, and bioactive compounds.
authors.affiliation: . nutricion@grupoaran.com.
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Celada
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bastida
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Muniz
mesh_terms: D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D005503:Food Additives / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D005503:Food Additives
keywords: Cancer; Diet; N-nitrosocompounds; Nitrates; Nitrites; Processed meat; Red meat