John Scharffenberg, MD: "Red meat has heme iron, which increases the risk of cancer."

The famous saying goes that we are what we eat , and it's quite true. Following a balanced and healthy diet has many benefits for the body, as it provides our bodies with the nutrients, proteins, and minerals they need to stay healthy. In Spain, the Mediterranean diet is well-known, popular for being a well-rounded option that combines a large number of food groups.

Another hot topic is longevity , which figures like John Scharffenberg discuss. This nutrition expert, trained at Harvard University, is 102 years old . He has confessed to following a plant-based diet.

In an interview with the Viva Longevity! website, he spoke about red meat, noting that it is a food with heme iron , a type of iron present in animal products.

John Scharffenberg on red meat

In that interview, she noted that red meat "has heme iron, and that increases the risk of cancer." This type of iron, found in animal-based foods like fish, differs from non-heme iron (found in vegetables like lemons ) in that it is absorbed more quickly by the body .

In fact, the expert states in the interview that he believes no meat is "safe" because of this type of iron. "Some doctors prescribe meat if it's lean meat... but they shouldn't . The iron in meat is absorbed more quickly, and that's not good," he asserts.

He has the same opinion about fish: " Even fish has iron ... and that also increases the risk of colon cancer, diabetes, and heart attacks," he notes.

Scharffenberg previously told the platform that one of the keys to longevity is eating vegetables. In fact, he confessed that "I've been a vegetarian all my life" and that a vegetarian diet "helps reduce the risk of disease."

Several studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between red meat and diseases such as cancer. For example, in a report prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) and published in The Lancet Oncology in 2015, this food was classified as group 2A , meaning those likely to be carcinogenic.

Furthermore, they included processed meat in group 1 , considered carcinogenic. The report (which reviewed more than 800 studies) indicates that consuming 50 grams of this food daily can increase the risk of colon cancer by 18%.

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