Red Meat Tied to Diverticulitis Risk

Diverticulitis, aka left-sided appendicitis, has always been linked to diets low in fiber. Perhaps people that eat lots of meat skimp on foods rich in fiber.

The "pro-inflammatory state" is caused by the blend of bacteria constituting one's intestinal flora. Different diets lead to different types of bacteria living in our guts. Diets heavy in meat have worse mixes of these bacteria as compared to healthy vegetarian diets. We have more bacterial cells in our intestines than human cells in the rest of our body. That same "pro-inflammatory state" has been linked to heart disease. It's not the cholesterol per se, it's the bacteria in meat eaters' guts releasing inflammatory compounds. Researchers have known this for years. But carnivores are stubborn, and Big Food has employees who deal in plausible deniability and obfuscation. Just like Big Tobacco, Big Sugar, and Big Oil. Also unmentioned, meat consumption is a huge factor driving climate change, for numerous reasons.

It's no longer just "you are what you eat' but "you are the bacteria residing in your digestive tract, which is mostly influenced by what you eat." This is but one branch of the future of medicine, and many diseases are influenced by our gut flora. The term "probiotic" has been in existence for less than 4 decades, coined by Nobel laureate Elie Metchnikoff who postulated that Bulgarians enjoyed greater longevity because of the bacteria they consumed in their yogurt. The field is still in relative infancy.

As with most things we eat, moderation is best. I make meals that range from vegetarian to steak......something different everyday. I am a type 1 diabetic and my A1C is 5.4 and the rest of my blood work is excellent.

You can just as easily make a statistically valid point to an association between the numbers of flush toilets and diverticulitis.

Had a recent experience with diverticulitis (my only one), but while fond of lamb, I only eat it perhaps once a month at most, and usually somewhere around 2-3 ounces. Simply, meat is a flavorful ingredient to me and my cooking (and eating out), so it is not commonly in my gut, red meat or 'the other white meat' (the almighty pig). I do not eat chicken (nasty birds) and very, very rarely beef or veal.

So based on my "study" of one, meat is not a "cause." (FYI, I ate fish the night prior to the occurrence. Must be that fish, eh?)

Scanning down the comments, though, I have to agree with DP that stress and lack of fiber is likely more to blame. Fact is, I eat a lot of fiber, e.g., beans, greens, tons of root veggies, potatoes (not quite as "evil" as the anti-sugar freaks believe), daily apples and oats, etc. For me, may have been more a case of some really bad bacteria in my gut, and possibly for some time. Grudgingly took a 10-day course of two (2) antibiotics, which for me is the last resort. I truly hate antibiotics; it's akin to the nuclear option. But...I was amazingly better w/in 24 hours, and in 3 days time, I (meaning, my gut) was just amazingly good.

So, for me, more focus on making certain fibrous foods are not neglected, and the addition of a wonderful probiotic (OrthoBiotic) (daily for a couple weeks, but now only about 1x/week).

Ultimately, one can only hope.

The study's results are not overwhelming, but when taken in conjunction with many other good studies about the deleterious affects of meat on one's health––heart disease; cancers––it's one more reason to give up or cut way back on meat.

Now they tell me.

When I had my my last 2 bouts of diverticulitis, I was eating hot dogs prior and always suspected they had a role in my case. I thought it was a coincidence until reading this study. My doctor told me to get surgery but now maybe I can prevent it by eating less red meat.

As a person that had this debilitating condition, and had a seven hr surgery 3 Yrs ago, I can tell you lots about why this happens. I have done much research and was advised by many holistic and non holistic personnel. Top reasons: excessive stress, not enough fiber.
I always ate quite well so this came as a huge surprise. But I have had a very stressful life with little support. Just throwing out by the NYT that red meat could be a culprit, is not sufficient.
Inflammation in our bodies come for many reasons. Good probiotics are a necessity to maintain a healthy balanced colon, along with the healthy foods and less stress. Also Gluten has been found to be a serious culprit.

Laughable results. How it gets news coverage is beyond my understanding.

Relative risk inflates the results to make it seem more news worthy. Here I fixed it for you. Absolute risk of highest fifth: 1% lowest fifth 0.6%. Nothing to see here.

Why do most medical studies still include only men in their studies?

Imagine the uproar if study after study were only female.

So, a hotdog causes less inflammation than a filet mignon? More information is needed here.

This is not surprising to me. There are several cases of diverticulitis in my immediate family and they are all red meat eaters. Quality of the meat may have some effect, but overall, not eating red meat is more helpful.

Given the sorry state of commercial meat industry practices, no surprise in the result. Now repeat the study using only grass-fed, humanely-raised meat sources.