Eating meat and poultry 3 times a week exposes you to risks

A recent British study published by the "Daily Mail" newspaper found that people who eat meat and poultry regularly are more likely to develop chronic diseases.

The research, conducted by the University of Oxford in Britain, found that people who ate 70 grams of meat - processed or unprocessed - had a 15 percent higher risk of developing heart disease, 30 percent of diabetes and 31 percent of pneumonia.

The research said that these risks also apply to poultry enthusiasts, noting that the results were reached after analyzing the data of nearly half a million Britons.

The study lasted 10 years.

The data also revealed that people who eat meat three or more times a week are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and be obese.

These results indicate the important link between health problems and meat, given that the latter is one of the main sources of saturated fatty acids.

Lead author Dr. Keren Papier, from the University of Oxford, said: "More research is needed to assess the causal relationship between meat and serious chronic diseases ... and if this is the case, we will know to what extent these diseases can be prevented by reducing meat consumption."