Eating Too Much Red Meat Would Likely Have Greater Risk Of Gut Disorder In Men

Researchers discovered that men who eat too much red meat have the greater risk of having the gut disorder known as diverticulitis. This is a common bowel problem illness that occurs when the bulges lining the intestines of men become inflamed.

Andrew Chan, the lead author of the study and a researcher at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said that the past studies have shown that a high-fiber diet is linked with a lower risk of diverticulitis. On the other hand, the role of other dietary factors in influencing the risk of diverticulitis was not well studied.

In the new study, the researchers examined the data of over 46,000 men. They discovered that men who frequently ate red meat always were 58 percent more likely to have diverticulitis. About 674 men were diagnosed with diverticulitis. These men were not only frequent red meat eaters but also more likely to smoke, take NSAIDS and less fiber eater or get intense exercise. Chan said that their result indicates that diets high in red meat may be associated with a higher risk of diverticulitis.

Reuters reports that more than 200,000 hospitalizations are diagnosed with diverticulitis every year in the United States. This costs about over $2 billion.

Diverticulitis is a type of digestive disease. Its symptoms include lower abdominal pain that occurs usually on the left side in North America and Europe. Meanwhile, in Asia, the pain is often on the right. Other symptoms include nausea, fever, diarrhea and constipation. Some risk factors are the lack of exercise, obesity, genetic, smoking and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

This bowel disorder is common in the Western world, in which about 35 percent of people have diverticulitis. On the other hand, the disease is uncommon in Asia and Africa. The treatments for the said condition include having liquid or low-fiber diet. For those with severe diverticulitis, hospitalization and surgery are needed to treat the perforations in the gut wall.