Should people with heart disease eat red meat?

I have myocardial anemia, should I eat more red meat to supplement iron for my body? (Van Dat, Nha Trang)

Reply:

Common red meats include beef, pork, goat, dog, lamb, rabbit, and buffalo. Red meat has high nutritional value, containing lots of protein, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and B vitamins.

100g of raw red meat contains about 20-25g of protein and many essential amino acids such as lysine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan... The myoglobin content in red meat is much higher (about 65%) than in white meat.

However, many people do not have a balanced red meat diet. Consuming too much red meat can increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer.

Red meat contains a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol (pork is the highest, with 67 mg per 100 g), which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The amount of cholesterol in foods of animal origin is animal organs, brain, testicles, heart, shrimp, squid, eel...

Medium-chain saturated fatty acids comprise 40% of the total fatty acids in the lean fraction and 48% in the fat fraction of red meat.

Eating a lot of red meat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Photo: Freepik — Eating a lot of red meat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Photo: *Freepik*

Eating more meat (about 170-210g per day), especially red meat and processed meat, increases bad cholesterol (LDL-C), which accumulates in the artery walls, narrowing the arteries and reducing blood flow to the heart. Over time, plaques gradually grow, causing narrowing and blockage of the arteries, increasing the risk of myocardial infarction due to atherosclerosis. A diet high in red meat is also a risk factor for kidney disease.

If you have heart failure, you should avoid eating too much red meat. You can replace red or processed meat with white meat and plant proteins such as nuts, beans, whole grains, and soy products. Consider eating one meatless meal a day.

Red meat should not be completely eliminated from the diet because it provides great nutritional value, necessary for the body. An adult should eat a variety of animal proteins including red meat, white meat (poultry, seafood), eggs, milk and vegetable proteins such as beans, whole grains. The amount of red meat consumed should not exceed 350-500g per week.

Doctor Tran Thi Tra Phuong
Nutrihome Nutrition Clinic System

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