Meat is as bad for your waist as sugar

A new study says that meat intake is as harmful as sugar in the growing prevalence of global obesity.

According to scientists at the University of Adelaide, fats and carbohydrates can provide us with enough energy to meet our demands, and are digested faster than protein, meaning the energy stored in meat is used later, or if surplus to requirements, is converted and stored as fat in the body, reports the Independent.

This means that increased availability of meat may be making a significant contribution to global waist sizes. “Whether we like it or not, fats and carbohydrates in modern diets are supplying enough energy to meet our daily needs. Because meat protein is digested later than fats and carbohydrates, this makes the energy we receive from protein a surplus, which is then converted and stored as fat in the human body,” said researcher Wenpeng You. After accounting for differences between countries, including levels of urbanisation, physical activity and calorific intake, the research found the availability of meat could account for 13 per cent of the obesity rate, the same level as sugar.