The impact of pork meat and lard on human health

Abstract

Meat has a significant role in human evolution and is essential for proper growth and development, primarily because it represents a valuable source of proteins, as well as vitamins B, folic acid and vitamins A and D. Red meat also contains large amounts of iron, zinc, and other mineral substances and their bioavailability is much higher from meat then from plant sources. In recent years, red meat, especially pork meat and lard are associated with a negative health image, and their consumption is associated with a number of diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Fat is most often mentioned as cause of these conditions, which is why the meat industry tends to reduce levels of fat in meat and meat products. However, fat is an important source of fatty acids, and according to recommendations, in order to improve human health, it is more important to balance the ratio between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, rather than exclude fat from the diet. Despite the negative image that has been created in the public, pork still represents the type of meat with the highest production and consumption globally.

Meso ima značajnu ulogu u ljudskoj evoluciji i neophodno je za pravilan rast i razvoj organizma, pre svega jer predstavlja značajan izvor proteina, ali i vitamina B grupe, folne kiseline i vitamina A i D. Crveno meso takođe sadrži velike količine gvožđa, ali i cinka i drugih mineralnih materija, a njihova iskoristivost iz mesa je mnogo veća nego iz biljnih izvora. Poslednjih godina crveno, a pre svega svinjsko meso, kao i svinjska mast pominju se u negativnom kontekstu, a njihova upotreba u ishrani povezuje se sa mnogobrojnim oboljenjima kao što su kardiovaskularna oboljenja, kancer i dijabetes. Kao uzrok ovih oboljenja najčešće se pominje mast, zbog čega industrija mesa teži ka redukciji nivoa masti u mesu i proizvodima od mesa. Međutim, mast predstavlja značajan izvor masnih kiselina, a mnogobrojne preporuke na osnovu velikog broja istraživanja baziraju se na balansiranju odnosa zasićenih i nezasićenih masnih kiselina pre nego na izbacivanju masti iz ishrane. Ipak i pored negativne slike koja je stvorena u javnosti, svinjsko meso je i dalje vrsta mesa sa najvećom proizvodnjom i potrošnjom na globalnom nivou.