A new study in the journal Stroke suggests that eating too much red meat may drastically increase risk of stroke while eating poultry was correlated with a reduced risk.

The team of researchers suggest that eating protein-rich diet is undoubtedly good for health but what matters is the type of protein being consumed. “The main message from this paper is that the type of protein or the protein package is really important for the risk of stroke. We have to consider protein in the context of the foods,” said Dr. Frank Hu, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and one of the authors of the study.

An earlier study, led by Susanna Larsson at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, also found that eating red meat had a link to stroke risk, however, what’s new in the current study is that frequent poultry eaters showed a lower risk of stroke.

It’s not clear whether the researchers considered the impact of plant-based sources of protein on stroke risk, but we can only guess what those results would look like! By claiming that poultry lowers stroke risk when compared to red meat, this research seems to be unfortunately perpetrating the myth that the term “Protein” is synonymous with animal flesh or animal products in general, when we all know that is completely untrue.

Heart-Healthy Vegan Eggplant Burger Image Source: Nikki Haney