Less is more

Consumption of red and processed meat is responsible for a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions and also increases the risks of diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. A recent study used new estimates of meat intakes in UK adults and came to the conclusion that if the number of vegetarians doubled and the rest of the population decreased their red and processed meat intake by 2.5 times, the rates of diabetes, heart disease and colorectal cancer would drop significantly and the expected reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across the UK population would be 27.8 million tonnes/year.

_{Aston, LM, Smith, JN, Powles, LW, 2012. Impact of a reduced red and processed meat dietary pattern on disease risks and greenhouse gas emissions in the UK: a modelling study. BMJ Open. 2: e001072}