Scientists criticize advocates of plant-based diets, argue that meat consumption is essential for good health
A group of hundreds of scientists have united to criticize the promotion of plant-based diets and emphasize the importance of meat in a balanced diet. They caution against vilifying meat-eaters and have published nine research papers in Animal Frontiers to demonstrate the value of red meat. Nearly 1,000 signatures are on a declaration advocating the nutritional benefits of livestock-derived foods that provide essential nutrients and other health-promoting compounds, which are often absent in even higher-income diets. The declaration warns against recommending the restrictive diets of meat, dairy, and eggs for general populations, as only well-resourced individuals can achieve adequate diets while heavily restricting such foods.
A group of scientists are speaking out against the push for plant-based diets, arguing that meat is essential for a balanced diet and cautioning against demonizing meat-eaters. Nearly 1,000 signatures, including experts behind nine research papers in Animal Frontiers, support the declaration that red meat provides important nutrients and health-promoting compounds that are lacking in many diets. The scientists argue that livestock systems are too valuable to society to be reduced or vilified by simplification or zealotry. They also refute claims that red meat consumption is unhealthy and environmentally damaging. The group found previous research linking red meat to deaths worldwide to be flawed and in need of retraction. Animal Frontiers is the official research journal for four leading animal science societies.
The 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study has been instrumental in steering people towards plant-based diets and away from red meat. However, the study has been criticized by the group of scientists for being flawed and scientifically unsound.
According to Alice Stanton of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, removing fresh meat and dairy from diets can harm human health. She also added that women, children, the elderly, and low-income groups would be particularly negatively impacted.
The group of scientists argued that it is difficult to substitute the nutritional value of meat with plant-based alternatives, and that poorer communities that consume less meat suffer from negative health impacts, such as stunting, wasting, and anemia due to insufficient nutrients and protein. They emphasized that red meat is a valuable source of essential nutrients and health-promoting compounds, and that livestock systems play an important role in society and should not be simplified or dismissed by zealotry.
According to Adegbola Adesogan, director of the University of Florida’s Global Food Systems Institute, "Animal-source foods are superior to plant-source foods at simultaneously supplying several bioavailable micronutrients and high-quality macronutrients that are critical for growth and cognitive development." He argues that dietary recommendations that eliminate animal-source foods from diets ignore their importance, especially for undernourished populations in the Global South.
The Dublin Declaration, signed by experts from top universities including Cambridge, Edinburgh, Bristol, Belfast, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Surrey, as well as scientists from Harper Adams, calls for an end to the promotion of meat-free diets by "zealots."
Animal Frontiers, which published the research papers that debunked the claims against red meat, is the official research journal for four professional animal science societies: the American Society of Animal Science, the Canadian Society of Animal Science, the European Federation of Animal Science, and the American Meat Science Association.
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