• Home
  • About
    • About me
    • About Nutritionists
    • About this Site
    • Disclaimer
  • Your Kitchen Guide
    • Choosing Fruit & Veg
    • Kitchen Cupboard
    • Knife Skills
    • Cooking Measurements
  • Meat-Free Recipes
    • Vegan & Vegetarian Spice Recipes
  • Topics
    • Lifestyle & Dieting
    • Men’s Health
    • Nutrition & Mental Health
    • Sports & Exercise Nutrition
    • Nutrition & Physical Health
    • Vitamins, Minerals & Nutrients
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • RSS Feed

Search

it's about nutrition

Evidence-Based Look at Diets & Nutrition

Too much meat harms the liver
Reviews

Too much meat harms the liver

April 22, 2017
Share

New research, presented at the International Liver Congress, suggests that animal protein (found in meat) is linked to the accumulation of fat in the liver, which could lead onto scarring and finally cirrhosis. However, fructose (a sugar found naturally in fruit and vegetables) may not be as harmful as previously thought.

Dutch researchers presented their findings from an epidemiological (population-based) study of just under 3500 people. Known as the Rotterdam Study, this on-going research includes 30% of people who are of healthy weight and 70% of people who are overweight, with an average age of 71.

Excess fat accumulation in the liver was found in over a third of the participants. The researchers found that those participants who consumed the most animal protein compared to total protein overall had a significantly higher chance of accumulating fat in their liver.

This finding was most evident in people who are overweight.

Oddly, those participants who consumed a lot of fructose did not have any significant fat in their liver, which is contrary to current scientific thinking.

What do we think?

This research was conducted on what appears to be an elderly population, where the average age was 71. Whether this same finding can be translated to a younger population is difficult to tell, because we know that nutritional requirements change during our life cycle.

However, what is interesting is that fructose and other simple sugars did not appear to have any correlation with fatty liver disease, quite the reverse. It suggests that many more studies into this area are needed to isolate the precise causes of this potentially dangerous condition.

Fatty liver disease, like obesity and diabetes, is rapidly becoming a global health catastrophe, and any strategy that can be used to prevent its onset should be explored. In the meantime, like many studies, it does suggest that a healthy Mediterranean style diet that is high in plant food and lower in animal protein and animal fat could benefit more than just our hearts.

If it is true that fructose does not cause unhealthy fat accumulation in our liver, then a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, with a small amount of dairy and animal protein and fat is one we should encourage and promote.

However, this is only a population study, it suggests interesting pathways for further research. It does not prove that eating meat leads to liver disease, so we need to ensure that no crazy conclusions are made quite yet.

Sources

ILC 2017: Diet high in animal protein is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight people.

Seb Bowden

Seb is a writer and blogger of food and nutrition. He holds a bachelors and a masters degree in nutrition science, and has studied sports and exercise nutrition at postgraduate level. He specialises in plant-based nutrition and believes passionately that we can all live with a little less meat. He writes for www.veggieandspice.com and www.itsaboutnutrition.com

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Tags:

  • animal protein
  • ,
  • cirrhosis
  • ,
  • fatty liver
  • ,
  • fructose
  • ,
  • liver
  • ,
  • meat

Post navigation

Behind the headlines: snacking
Can gut bacteria influence your energy levels?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Your details will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Advertisement

Most Read

  • Can Diet Cause Man-Boobs?Can Diet Cause Man-Boobs?
  • Should Men Avoid Flax and Soya?Should Men Avoid Flax and Soya?
  • Caponata your way!Caponata your way!
  • Flexitarianism - What's the Deal?Flexitarianism – What’s the Deal?
  • MelonsMelons

Translate

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google

So what do you think? Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Creative Commons Licence
It's About Nutrition by Seb Bowden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Cressida by LyraThemes.com
Share
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: