Does Eating Red Meat Cause Inflammation?

Inflammation is part of a healthy immune system’s response to injury or infection. But inflammation can be harmful if it goes on for long periods of time. 

Evidence shows that some foods can trigger inflammation. Research has linked red and processed meats to inflammation. But does that mean you need to cut them out of your diet completely? Here’s what the research says about the connection between red meat and inflammation. 

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is one way the body protects itself. When you have an injury or infection, the immune system responds by sending the immune system’s cells to the area. These cells release substances that help increase blood flow, promote healing, and prevent infection. 

Once the injury heals, the immune system stops releasing these substances. But sometimes inflammation gets triggered at low levels throughout the body — even when there’s no injury or infection. This is chronic (long-term) inflammation. Different things can trigger it, including:

• Medical conditions

• Smoking

• Trauma and adverse childhood experiences

• Poor sleep

• Stress

• Diet

Chronic inflammation can increase the chance of some people developing conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Does red meat cause inflammation?

It’s not clear.

A lot of evidence shows that eating red meat can increase your risk of developing conditions like heart disease and some types of cancer. People who eat more processed meat and red meat are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. 

But, when researchers tried to measure inflammation in people who ate red meat, the results were not clear. 

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Some studies didn’t not find evidence of increased inflammation markers in the blood of people who eat red meat. These studies also found eating red meat didn’t affect glycemic control or total cholesterol levels, at least in the short term. But another study found that people who ate red meat had higher markers for inflammation in their blood samples. 

One reason for these conflicting results may be that the same diet can affect individuals differently. Several studies found that the relationship between red meat and inflammation is affected by overall body weight. There’s some evidence that eating red meat caused more inflammation in people with higher body weight compared to people with lower body weight. 

Another study showed that people who used to smoke and ate red and processed meat had higher inflammation markers in their blood. The same study showed this wasn’t the case for people who never smoked or continued to smoke. 

Even though the evidence isn’t completely clear, many experts agree that people who eat diets high in red meat are at higher risk for having higher levels of inflammation markers in their blood. And this could lead to chronic inflammation and increase the risk of developing conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Should you avoid eating red meat? 

Maybe. It depends on how much red meat you eat and if that meat is processed or unprocessed.

Experts at the American College of Cardiology and the American Cancer Society recommend limiting how much red meat you eat each week. “Too much” may vary from person to person. But some experts recommend only eating 3 servings each week. A serving is the size of a deck of cards. 

Experts are more firm on processed meats, citing evidence that processed meats can increase inflammation and the risk of developing cancer. It’s best to avoid processed meats whenever possible. 

Red meat is a good source of protein and vitamins like B12 and iron. But there are other ways to get protein and vitamins into your diet without eating red meat. For most people, a healthy diet should be made up of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meat, or poultry.

Which types of red meat pose less risk for inflammation?

If you want to include red meat in your diet, consider these tips to make your diet as healthy as possible:

• Avoid processed meats, like deli meats, bacon, sausages, and hot dogs. 

• Choose lean cuts of unprocessed red meat. 

• Limit the number of servings of red meat you eat during a meal by choosing a smaller cut of red meat. 

• Replace red meat with other sources of animal protein like fish or poultry or plant-based protein like soy, beans, or lentils.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Christine Giordano, MD

Christine Giordano, MD, is board-certified in general internal medicine. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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