EVANSTON, ILLINOIS — A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine has found that eating two servings of red meat or processed meat every week is linked to a 3 to 7 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
The study included more than 29,000 participants who were asked about their dietary habits.
One of the study's authors said that it's worth trying to cut down on red meat and processed meat such as pepperoni, bologna and deli meats.
Scientists also found those who consumed two servings of poultry a week had a 4 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Though researchers noted that this might be related to the cooking method of the chicken which may have been fried or due to consumption of chicken skin rather than chicken meat itself.
The study did not find any association between eating fish and cardiovascular disease or early death.
The researchers recommended consuming fish, seafood and plant-based protein sources such as nuts, legumes, beans and peas as healthier alternatives.
The study's findings are in stark contrast to a meta-analysis published just a few months ago which claimed that there was no need for people to reduce their intake of red meat or processed meat for good health.
Nutritionists at NutriRECS said at the time that their analysis did not find "any certainty that eating red meat or processed meat causes cancer, diabetes or heart disease," CNN reports.