Meat, eggs and milk contain important nutrients not easily obtained from plant foods, according to a study released Tuesday, which also confirms the risk of eating processed red meat.
According to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the consumption of animal products is “particularly important during key life stages” such as pregnancy, childhood, adolescence and old age.
Terrestrial animal foods consumed in accordance with adequate dietary patterns “may make an important contribution” to reducing stunting in children under five years of age, low birth weight, anemia in women of reproductive age and diet-related noncommunicable diseases in adults, the report said. FAO.
This study, according to the UN agency, is the most comprehensive analysis of the benefits and risks of eating animal products, based, among other things, on the findings of more than 500 scientific articles on the subject. .
Thus, the FAO concluded that meat, eggs and milk contain a number of important macronutrients, such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates, “which are difficult to obtain from plant foods in the required quality and quantity” for a healthy diet.
According to the report, high-quality protein, essential fatty acids, iron, calcium, zinc, selenium, vitamin B12 and bioactive compounds are found in terrestrial animal feed and “have important functions for health and development.”
“Iron and vitamin A are among the most common micronutrient deficiencies worldwide, especially in children and pregnant women,” the FAO warns, noting that globally one in two preschool children (372 million) and 1.2 billion women of childbearing age age are deficient in at least one of the three trace elements – iron, vitamin A or zinc.
The organizations also point out that “one tenth of the world’s population faces hunger” and that three billion people “do not have the financial means to eat healthy”, with one in three people being overweight or obese.
Regarding the risks associated with animal products, the report says that consuming even small amounts of processed red meat can increase the chance of death, chronic and cardiovascular disease, and colorectal cancer.
“However, consumption of unprocessed red meat in moderation (9 to 71 grams per day) may have minimal risk but is considered safe with respect to chronic disease outcomes,” the report says.
The paper goes on to say that the evidence for an association between milk, egg and poultry consumption by healthy adults and coronary heart disease, stroke and hypertension is either inconclusive (for milk) or not significant (for eggs and poultry).
“When consumed as part of an adequate diet, animal products can help achieve the nutritional goals approved by the World Health Assembly and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of reducing stunting in children under five years of age, low birth weight , anemia in older women. reproductive age and obesity and non-communicable diseases in adults,” says FAO.
The FAO analysis also showed that cow’s milk and chicken eggs are among the eight foods that pose an allergenic risk to the population, so it should be “mandatory” in many countries to list their presence on allergy prevention labels.