Just in time to spoil the promise of warm-weather picnics, Harvard scientists have found that daily consumption of red meat particularly the kind you might like to grill may significantly increase your risk of premature death.

While this much has long been suspected, perhaps even by you, the Harvard-led study is the first nuanced analysis to calculate the risk that a serving of red meat can have on your longevity compared with other protein sources.

The study measures, for example, how much one could expect to lower their risk of early death by replacing pork and beef with poultry, fish, nuts or beans can lower the risk of early death; they found chicken was at least as healthy an alternative to red meat as beans and whole grains.

"This paper does not give a green light to a low-fat, high-carb diet," senior author Frank Hu of Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) told LiveScience. "Instead, it underscores the importance of types or quality of protein." [7 Foods Your Heart Will Hate]

The study was published today (March 12) online in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

120,000 people can't be wrong

The researchers, led by An Pan at HSPH, tapped into two longitudinal health studies the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, and the Nurses' Health Study which capture health and dietary information from approximately 120,000 adults who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at the onset of the study and followed for up to 28 years.

For these subjects, 20 percent of whom died during the study, one daily serving of unprocessed red meat such as steak or pork chops was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of dying during the study. One daily serving of processed red meat, such as a hot dog or bacon, was associated with a 20 percent increased risk.

Conversely, replacing one serving of red meat with one serving of a healthy protein source was associated with a lower mortality risk: 19 percent lower when the meat was replaced with nuts; 14 percent for poultry; 14 percent for whole grains; 10 percent for legumes; 10 percent for low-fat dairy products; and 7 percent for fish. [Top 10 Leading Causes of Death]

"This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death," said Hu.

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Red Meat a Ticket to Early Grave, Harvard Says