This week, all lovers of meat received from science a surprise blow.

A new study, published on the pages of Gut, related the use of red meat with a high probability of developing diverticulitis - inflammation of the intestinal wall.

Diverticulitis is a relative frequent disease characterized by inflammation of diverticula (protrusions) in the wall of the thick and small intestine. It can be asymptomatic or accompanied by fever, constipation or diarrhea, spasms.

According to statistics, approximately 4% of patients with diverticulitis develop severe complications over time, including abscesses, perforation of the intestinal wall and the formation of fistulas - abnormal connections between different body cavities.

The prevalence of diverticulitis can be judged from overseas statistics: in the United States, 210,000 hospitalizations associated with this disease are annually recorded. The treatment of diverticulitis and its complications is estimated at more than $ 2 billion annually.

Researchers are worried that the incidence of diverticulitis has increased in recent years, especially among young people. This clearly hints at a connection with the modern way of life.

The most significant risk factors for diverticulitis:.

- taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

- sedentary lifestyle.

- overweight.

- Smoking Despite the fact that this list can be attributed to a good half of the population of developed countries, the risk factors for diverticulitis have not been sufficiently studied. Scientists have long suspected that a certain diet predisposes to inflammation of diverticula.

Recently, the research team of Dr. Andrew Chan from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA. They focused on the nutritional factors of diverticulitis.

For the study, a cohort of 46,500 male doctors was selected who participated in the National Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In the hands of scientists was detailed information about the state of their health and diet.

All project participants were 40-50 years old at the time of inclusion in the study. For their health, they were observed from 1986 to 2012, every 4 years conducting a comprehensive medical examination and collecting updated information on the lifestyle and diet of each doctor.

During follow-up, in 764 men, diverticulitis was confirmed.

The role of nutrition in the development of diverticulitis.

It turned out that lovers of red meat are much more likely to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other analgesics, smoke more, exercise less and get less fiber.

Thus, the use of red meat can be associated with a certain unhealthy pattern, which includes a whole bunch of bad habits and their consequences.

On the other hand, lovers of chicken meat smoked less, practiced more and more intensively, and also preferred aspirin to traditional NSAIDs.

Even more significant was the difference in the incidence of diverticulitis: the most devoted lovers of red meat suffered from this disease 58% more often than those that ate less than one servings per week.

Each additional dish of red meat per week increases the risk of diverticulitis by an average of 18%. Using red meat every day, you expose yourself to the maximum risk of inflammation of diverticula.

With chicken meat and fish, the opposite is true: replacing a single portion of red meat with one of these protein sources reduces the incidence of diverticulitis by 20%.

"The results we obtained should find practical application in the compilation of dietary guidelines. The right recommendations to patients at risk will help protect a huge number of people and save billions, "- concluded the researchers.

How is red meat associated with intestinal diverticulitis?.

This is the main question, which remains after getting acquainted with the results of the study.

While the authors can not unequivocally answer it, but several theories are available.

Theory No. 1: Pro-inflammatory proteins Red meat intake increases the level of C-reactive protein and ferritin - both are pro-inflammatory substances. It is proved that red meat increases the risk of cancer, diabetes and heart attack - in each of these diseases the inflammatory process plays out a key role.

Theory number 2: intestinal bacteria The second theory is that the use of red meat violates the composition of the intestinal microflora. Perhaps a violation of the population of beneficial bacteria adversely affects the integrity and functioning of the cells of the mucosa.

Why does meat break the microflora?.

Some researchers see the cause in the aggressive substances formed during the temperature processing of meat products. Therefore, lovers of fried shish kebab are in great danger.

Disadvantages of the study.

Although the work of Dr. Chan and his colleagues was very interested in the Western medical community, experts note a number of weaknesses in his project.

In particular, the study was observational, and therefore does not prove the causal relationship between meat consumption and diverticulitis.

Also, the project involved only men, mostly white, representatives of the same profession, subject to approximately one of the hazards, leading a similar lifestyle. This does not allow to extend the results to the whole population.

Be that as it may, lovers of red meat is worth pondering.

Especially if you recall the results of another scientific work.

In mid-2016, American scientists reported that excessive infatuation with red meat increases the risk of developing chronic kidney disease in the future. Also a serious argument.

medbe. en.