Red Meat Afoul Again?

   The recent research suggesting a link between a chemical found in red meat and adverse health is important.  It should be considered in much the same way as research that suggests saturated fat is a health risk.  Something is going on and it makes sense to eat less red meat if you are currently eating it more than say... 3x a week.  Some, like me, may choose to not eat it at all.  
I am a vegetarian, so to speak, as I eat fish.  
   When studying red meat consumption and health, the comparison group is often vegetarians or vegans.  Therefore, what science has not concluded is if there is something else about people who are vegetarians, or something else about the vegetarian diet that is protective for health.    For example, if a vegetarian and a meat eater are both eating 1600 calories a day, meat eaters have to be eating less of something that vegetarians are eating more of.  Current theory is that the fiber rich diet of vegetarians may be a key factor.
   In addition, studies often look at dose.  Vegetarians who eat no red meat at all are at one end of the continuum and heavy meat eaters who consume 3 or more servings each day are at the other.  In either case, as the red meat consumption goes up, so does the chemical and the sat fat content, but something also goes down.  It is likely that both conditions - too much of one thing and too little of the other(whatever the other is) is causing the health risk.  With that thought, there will surely be a difference in outcome based on what replaces the red meat in a person's diet.  These are things we have to study more.
  Bottom line.  There is reason to believe that we can eat too much red meat and "too much" depends on who you ask.  It is reasonable to replace some of your red meat with lean proteins and some types of fish, like salmon.  On an individual level, meaning your diet, direction should come from a licensed dietician.