What if replacing red meat with sardines could save lives? – In the news

2024-04-12 14:17:24

12 avril 2024

According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, replacing red meat with fish such as herring, sardines or anchovies might save, in the long term, up to 750,000 lives per year. And also reduce the prevalence of disabilities due to diet-related diseases.

Evidence is mounting linking red meat consumption to increased risks of non-communicable diseases – such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes – which account for around 70% of deaths worldwide.

Thus, the World Cancer Research Fund recommends consumption of red meat of less than 300 g per person per week. The Ministry of Health, in its National Nutrition and Health Plan (PNNS), recommends, for its part, a consumption of less than 500 g per week.

Problem, the Health Security Agency (ANSES) estimates that “28% of adults still consume more than 500 g of red meat per week “. For health, but also for the planet, a big question remains: what to replace red meat with? This question has been asked very seriously by Australian and Japanese scientists.

Replace with good fat

Do you know “forage” fish? It is these small fish, whether freshwater or sea, that serve as food for predators. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, calcium and vitamin B12, they also have a low carbon footprint.

Problem is, today, three quarters, including those caught off the coasts of countries in the South facing food insecurity and malnutrition, are ground into fish meal and oil.

Sardine, herring, anchovies

What if sardines, herrings and anchovies replaced red meat? By modeling different nutritional scenarios, the scientists showed that if widely adopted for human consumption, forage fish might potentially provide public health benefits, particularly in terms of reducing coronary heart disease. Specifically, this approach might prevent between 500,000 and 750,000 diet-related deaths in 2050.

That’s for theory. Because the supply of forage fish remains limited. However, according to the authors, “ Increasing your daily intake even slightly to get closer to the recommended level of 40 kcal would already help reduce deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and bowel cancer by 2%. in 2050 ».

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