Humans evolved as omnivores and it has been proposed that cooking allowed for evolution of larger brains that has led to our success as a species. Meat is one of the most nutrient dense foods, providing high-quality protein, heme iron, zinc, and vitamins Bo and B12. Despite these advantages, epidemiologic studies have linked consumption of red or processed meat with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers of multiple organs. Most observational studies report small. increased relative risks. However, there are mamy lim- itations of such studies including inability to accurately estimate intake.lack of prespecified hypotheses, multiple comparisons, and from many factors-including body weight. fruit/vegetable intake. physical active ity, smoking, and alcohol that correlate significantly either positively or negatively with meat intake and limit the reliability of conclusions from these studies. The observational studies are heterogeneous and do not fulfill many of the points proposed by AB Hill in 1965 for inferring causality: his most important factor was strength of the association which in dietary studies is usually