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PubMed2004

Meat cooking habits and risk of colorectal cancer in Córdoba, Argentina.

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer is the third cause of death among women and the fifth among men in Córdoba, Argentina. We previously reported colorectal cancer to be associated with a high intake of fatty meats and bovine viscera and inversely associated with dietary fiber intake. In this study, we investigated the role of method of cooking meat and preferences in browned surfaces in the risk of colorectal cancer. METHODS: A case-control retrospective study was carried out by interviewing 296 patients and 597 control subjects with a food-frequency questionnaire. Meat consumption and preferred cooking procedures (boiled, roasted, barbecued, cooked in a flat iron-pan without fat, and fried) were investigated. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were obtained by unconditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Barbecuing was the cooking method preferred by men, whereas iron-pan cooking was favored by women; frying was the least favored method. Fatty beef, sausages, and bovine viscera were preferentially barbecued or boiled, whereas lean beef was mainly roasted, iron-pan cooked, or fried. Chicken was barbecued or roasted. The multivariate relative risks (adjusted by age, sex, social stratum, and total energy intake) for preferring darkly browned surfaces were significantly associated with an increased risk for all cooking procedures (odds ratio, 4.57; 95% confidence interval, 3.10 to 6.73). No associations were found for red roasted or for boiled meats. CONCLUSION: Increased risk seems to be related to cooking temperature and close contact of the food to the heating source, because higher risks were observed for heavily browned surfaces when meats were barbecued or iron-pan cooked.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Isolation, molecular characterization and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella and Escherichia coli isolates from meat-based fast food in Lebanon.

The aim of this study was to characterize at the molecular level the different stains of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli that were isolated from meat-based fast food in Lebanon. In addition, this study evaluated the resistance of those strains to different antimicrobials that are commonly used. The foods included were Lahm-bi-Ajeen (LBA, meat pies) and Shawarma (Lebanese meat sandwiches similar to Gyros and Donairs, containing meat, vegetables, and sesame seeds-oil-based sauce). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to characterize and identify the strains of both bacteria. Salmonella species characterization was performed using rfb genes cluster genetic marker, while that of E. coli strains were carried out based on stx1, stx2, eaeA, fliC, and ehlyA virulence markers. The characterized strains were then tested for their response to various antimicrobials. The results showed that the tested foods were contaminated with Salmonella paratyphi (serogroup A) and Shiga Toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli (STX-EC). The PCR showed that 75% of E. coli tested strains was positive in PCR performed with stx1 primers, one of which was eaeA positive. Two of the tested strains were positive using PCR with fliC primers. The resistances of the various strains were evaluated using the following antimicrobials: Oxacillin, Teicoplanin, Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, Gentamicin, Clindamycin, Cefotaxime, Cefuroxime, Erythromycin, and Vancomycin. Bacteria were highly resistant to one or more of the tested antimicrobials. Approximately 69% of E. coli and 77.8% of Salmonella spp. exhibited resistance. Salmonella spp. were shown to be 100% resistant to four antimicrobials: Oxacillin, Teicoplanin, Clindamycin, Vancomycin, and Erythromycin, while E. coli was 100% resistant to Teicoplanin and Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The most interesting findings were the high susceptibility of the E. coli to Gentamicin (100%). Highest resistance in the case of Salmonella spp. was seen against Cefotaxime (74%). Those two antimicrobials are commonly used for the treatment of enteric infections caused by gram-negative bacteria. The results showed that meat-based fast foods in Lebanon could be a public health hazard, especially Shawarma, as they may act as a potential vehicle for many antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic organisms. Improper hygienic standards and indiscriminate use of antimicrobials are two of the main causes for the prevalence of these pathogenic resistance strains in Lebanon. These results will emphasize the need to implement protective measures and more emphasis will be placed on the application of hygienic practices to reduce the levels of food contamination.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2006

Fourteen-week feeding test of meat and milk derived from cloned cattle in the rat.

Agricultural application of cloned livestock produced by nuclear transfer requires public and governmental understanding of food-safety issues. To determine whether physiological effects occurred in animals fed products derived from cloned cattle, we conducted long-term (14 week) trials feeding Crj:CD(SD)IGS rats meat and milk from cloned cattle. Diets containing meat and milk were equal in nutritional value to the basal diet (AIN93G). Urinalysis was performed at Weeks 4, 8 and 12; at the end of the feeding period, blood sampling and autopsies were conducted. During the feeding periods, there were no significant differences in general condition, death loss, growth, battery of functional observational tests and estrous cycles among groups given diets containing meat and milk powder from non-clone, embryonic clone and somatic clone cattle. Furthermore, no significant changes attributed to consumption of clone meat or milk were detected in urinalysis, hematological and blood chemical, gross pathological or histological examinations. Therefore, we concluded that the physiologic conditions of the rats were not affected by consumption of meat and milk from bovine clones.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of meat composition from offspring of cloned and conventionally produced boars.

This study compares the meat composition of the offspring from boars produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (n=4) to that of the offspring from conventionally produced boars (n=3). In total, 89 commercial gilts were artificially inseminated and 61 progressed to term and farrowed. All of the resulting piglets were housed and raised identically under standard commercial settings and slaughtered upon reaching market weight. Loin samples were taken from each slaughtered animal and shipped offsite for meat composition analysis. In total, loin samples from 404 animals (242 from offspring of clones and 162 from controls) were analyzed for 58 different parameters generating 14,036 and 9396 data points from offspring of clones and the controls, respectively. Values for controls were used to establish a range for each parameter. Ten percent was then added to the maximum and subtracted from the minimum of the control range, and all results within this range were considered clinically irrelevant. Of the 14,036 data points from the offspring of clones, only three points were found outside the clinically irrelevant range, two of which were within the range established by the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005; website: (www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/). The only outlier was the presence of Eicosadienoic acid (C20:2) in one sample which is typically present in minute quantities in pork; no reference data were found regarding this fatty acid in the USDA National Nutrient Database. In conclusion, these data indicated that meat from the offspring of clones was not chemically different than meat from controls and therefore supported the case for the safety of meat from the offspring of clones.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2003

Fish, shellfish, and meat meals of the public in Singapore.

Understanding different patterns of fish consumption is an important component of the assessment of risk from contaminants in fish. While there have been extensive studies of fish consumption in Western cultures, less attention has been devoted to the role of fish and meat in the diets of people in other cultures. A survey of 212 people living in Singapore was conducted to examine the relative importance of fish, shellfish, and other meat in their diets and to ascertain whether there were differences as a function of age, income, education or gender. As expected, fish and shellfish played an important role in their daily diets. On average, people ate fish in about 10 meals a week, chicken for eight meals, and shrimp and pork for about six meals each. While nearly 8% never ate fish, 18% ate fish at all 21 meals a week and over 20% ate shellfish for all 21 meals. Income explained about 14% of the variation in the number of fish meals consumed, and age explained about 8% of the variation in number of chicken meals per week. There were no gender differences in the number of meals of each type. People less than 26 years old ate significantly more pork, chicken, and other meat meals and fewer shellfish meals than older people. People with higher incomes ate significantly more fish meals than those with lower incomes. Chinese individuals ate significantly more meals of pork, chicken, and other meat than other ethnic groups, and they ate only 26% of their meals at home, while others ate 33% of their meals at home. The data indicate a great deal of variation in the number of meals of fish, shellfish, and other meats eaten by the people interviewed, making dietary and risk assessments challenging.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Effects of a chargrilled meat diet on expression of CYP3A, CYP1A, and P-glycoprotein levels in healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in chargrilled meat are substrates for inducible CYP1A and CYP3A enzymes and for P-glycoprotein. We examined whether consumption of a chargrilled meat diet results in induction of these proteins. METHODS: Ten healthy adults were fed a diet enriched with chargrilled meat for 7 days. Duodenal biopsy specimens were obtained on days 1, 5, and 12 and analyzed for CYP1A, CYP3A, and P-glycoprotein messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein. On days 5 and 12, hepatic CYP3A4 and CYP1A2 activities were measured and colon biopsies were performed. The levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon DNA adducts in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were measured on days 1, 4, 11, and 26. RESULTS: There was no detectable induction of CYP3A4, CYP3A5, or P-glycoprotein mRNAs or protein in small intestine or colon and no induction of hepatic CYP3A4 enzyme activity. In contrast, the chargrilled meat diet resulted in unequivocal induction of CYP1A enzymes in the liver and small intestine of each subject. There was an inverse correlation between the level of peripheral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon DNA adducts measured on day 11 and both liver CYP1A2 activity (P = 0.027) and enterocyte CYP1A1 protein concentration (P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Ingestion of chargrilled meat results in induction of CYP1A enzymes but not CYP3A4 or P-glycoprotein. This observation, combined with the correlation between adduct levels and CYP1A expression, supports an adaptive role for CYP1A but not CYP3A4 or P-glycoprotein.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed2002

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in commercial meat products as monitored by polymerase chain reaction--food for thought?

DNA was extracted from 71 meat samples obtained from UK retail outlets. All of these DNA preparations gave the expected polymerase chain reaction products when amplified with primers specific for the species from which the meat originated. A second polymerase chain reaction analysis, using primers specific for the Toxoplasma gondii SAG2 locus, revealed the presence of this parasite in 27 of the meat samples. Restriction analysis and DNA sequencing showed that 21 of the contaminated meats contained parasites genotyped as type I at the SAG2 locus, whilst six of the samples contained parasites of both types I and II. Toxoplasma- positive samples were subjected to further polymerase chain reaction analysis to determine whether any carried an allele of the dihydropteroate synthase gene that has recently been shown to be causally associated with sulfonamide resistance in T. gondii. In all cases, this analysis confirmed that parasites were present in the samples and, additionally, revealed that none of them carried the drug-resistant form of dihydropteroate synthase. These results suggest that a significant proportion of meats commercially available in the UK are contaminated with T. gondii. Although none of the parasites detected in this study carried the sulfonamide-resistance mutation, a simplified procedure for monitoring this situation merits development.

Alleles↗
PubMed2001

Effect of origin of radiocaesium on the transfer from fallout to reindeer meat.

Data on radiocaesium contamination of reindeer from five regions in Sweden have been used, together with interpolated radiocaesium deposition data, to quantify spatial variation in transfer to reindeer meat and to consider how it changes with time in different areas. Since the regions were contaminated to different extents by global and Chernobyl fallout, it was also possible to determine the influence of the origin or age of radiocaesium fallout on the transfer to reindeer meat. The regions differed significantly with regard to transfer of radiocaesium to reindeer meat. In two regions in the North of Sweden, where there was less Chernobyl 137Cs, aggregated transfer coefficients (Tag), estimated for the main slaughter period in the first year after the Chernobyl fallout, were low (0.15 and 0.36 m2 kg(-1) in January-April). Average Tag values calculated for the winter period (January-April) in two regions in the middle of Sweden, where deposition from Chernobyl dominated (83 and 94%, respectively, of the total deposition), were 0.78 and 0.84 m2 kg(-1), respectively with a maximum Tag for an individual reindeer of 1.87 m2 kg(-1). There was a threefold increase in Tag values from early autumn to late winter reflecting the change in the reindeer diet from less contaminated vascular plants to more contaminated lichens. The decline of 137Cs in reindeer meat from 1986 to 2000 differed between regions with longer effective half-lives (Tef) in the northerly regions (11.0 and 7.1 years, respectively) with less Chernobyl fallout, and shorter half-lives in the other three regions (3.5-3.8 years). This observation, together with a lack of a decline in early autumn in the region with least Chernobyl fallout, supports the theory of a gradual, but reversible, fixation of radiocaesium in the soil over the mid-long term. The results suggest that both the extent of transfer of 137Cs to reindeer meat, and its subsequent decline with time, are affected by the differing origins of radiocaesium and that previous contamination may substantially influence radiocaesium transfer in the event of a further accident.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Control of VTEC in Dutch livestock and meat production.

The Dutch government and the meat industry, recognising VTEC as having important public health, meat quality and economic implications, have taken a number of initiatives within the last 5 years to control VTEC in livestock and meat. These initiatives, brought together last year in a 'Masterplan VTEC', include short-, middle- and long-term priorities. Short-term priorities include advice on interventions in the cases of an outbreak of VTEC associated with a cattle herd, the implementation of handbooks for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in slaughterhouses and deboning plants, and the execution of an action programme on zero-tolerance to faecal contamination of carcasses. Mid-term activities include surveillance of the occurrence of VTEC and other enteropathogens in livestock and meat, and the investigations of VTEC population dynamics in dairy farms, transportation and farm hygiene. In the longer term, this programme aims to produce a system of Integrated Quality Assurance, consolidating effective measures to control VTEC in Dutch livestock and meat, and integrating emerging means for control and prevention.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2002

Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from the meat, poultry and seafood industries by automated ribotyping.

A total of 564 Listeria monocytogenes isolates were characterized by automated ribotyping. The samples were taken from equipment, personnel and the environment after cleaning procedures and during food processing, as well as from raw materials and products from six meat, two poultry and five seafood processing plants located in the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Altogether, 25 different ribotypes (RTs) were generated. Two RTs occurred in the samples from all three food sectors--meat, poultry and seafood. Four RTs occurred in meat and poultry plant samples and other four RTs occurred in meat and seafood plant samples. Five RTs occurred only in meat plant samples, five only in poultry plant samples and five only in seafood plant samples. Eight of the thirteen plants had their own in-house L. monocytogenes ribotype. There was geographical differences between the RTs, but no correlation between RTs and food sectors was detected. The discrimination power of automated ribotyping was satisfactory to trace the contamination sources in the food processing plants clearly indicating the sites at which improved cleaning procedures were necessary. In addition, it was possible to screen a large number of isolates with two instruments located at different institutes and to make a reliable combination of the results.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Application of nontraditional meat starter cultures in production of Hungarian salami.

Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O111 have been implicated in several outbreaks of food-borne disease linked to smallgoods products. Traditional meat starter cultures, containing a mixture of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and staphylococci, are used to maintain safety and sensory properties of Hungarian salami. The present study investigated if nontraditional meat starter (NTMS) cultures can be used for improving the safety of Hungarian salami. Salami batter was inoculated with List. monocytogenes and E. coli and subsequently fermented with NTMS cultures and a commercially available meat starter. A total of 15 NTMS cultures were tested. The salami was monitored for levels of pathogen, LAB and pH. When used in conjunction with the commercial meat starter, 9 NTMS cultures reduced the E. coli O111 count by more than 2.5 log units, whereas 10 of the NTMS cultures reduced List. monocytogenes by more than 2.5 log units. The commercial meat starter alone reduced E. coli and List. monocytogenes by 1.2 and 1.3 log units, respectively. Some NTMS cultures reduced the pathogen count without affecting pH of the salami batter. All NTMS cultures survived in salami throughout fermentation and maturation. It was concluded that NTMS cultures, including Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10, L. paracasei LAFTI L26, L. paracasei 5119, Lactobacillus sp. L24 and Bifidobacterium lactis LAFTI B94, may be used to increase the safety of Hungarian salami because these cultures gave strong inhibition of both E. coli O111 and List. monocytogenes.

Bifidobacterium↗
PubMed2002

Preservation of fresh meat with active and modified atmosphere packaging conditions.

The sensory, microbiological and physicochemical attributes of fresh meat stored at 5 and 15 degrees C were affected by the combined effect of volatile compounds of oregano essential oil and modified atmosphere packaging conditions (40% CO2/30% N2/30% O2, 100% CO2, 80% CO2/20% air, vacuum pack and air). It was found that the extension of shelf life of meat samples depended on the packaging conditions and augmented in the order: air < vacuum pack < 40% CO2/30% N2/30% O2 < 80% CO2/ 20% air < 100% CO2. Longer shelf life was observed in samples supplemented with the volatile compounds of oregano essential oil and stored under the same packaging conditions mentioned above. The extension of shelf life may be due to the synergistic effect of volatile compounds of oregano essential oil and the modified atmosphere packaging used on the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of meat. Indeed, both these hurdles can prolong and delay microbial growth or suppress the final counts of the spoilage microorganisms in comparison with the 'control' samples. The effect of essential oil volatile compounds was even more pronounced on the physicochemical changes of meat samples caused by microbial association. Oregano essential oil delayed glucose and lactate consumption, both indicators of meat spoilage aerobically as well as under 40% CO2/30% N2/30% O2, and 100% CO2. Finally, changes in other metabolites such as formic acid were also observed.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed2003

Occurrence and resistance to antibiotics of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in animals and meat in northeastern Italy.

A study was carried out in northeastern Italy during 2000 and 2001 to investigate the occurrence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in animals, cattle, pigs, and broilers, and raw meat, beef, pork, and chicken. Campylobacter spp. were detected in 53.9% of the cattle, 63.5% of the pigs, and 82.9% of the broilers examined. Chicken meat was frequently contaminated (81.3%), while lower rates were found in pork meat (10.3%) and beef (1.3%). The resistance to antibiotics of the strains was also investigated, and compared to that of human clinical isolates. C. coli was generally more resistant than C. jejuni. Resistance to quinolones was frequently observed in C. coli isolated in chicken meat (78.6%); slightly lower rates were found in C. jejuni isolated in broilers (42.2%), chicken meat (52.8%), and humans (38.2%). C. coli was also frequently resistant to tetracycline in all sources, while resistance to streptomycin was most frequently observed in pig isolates (89.4%).

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Antibacterial activity of Capsicum extract against Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa inoculated in raw beef meat.

The inhibitory effect of the extract of Capsicum annuum bell pepper type was evaluated against Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, inoculated in minced beef meat mixed with different concentrations of the extract, and stored at 7 degrees C for 7 days. The combined effect of C. annuum extract and sodium chloride on the bacterial growth was evaluated. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the extract to prevent the growth of S. typhimurium in minced beef was 1.5 ml/100 g of meat; the addition of 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% w/w of sodium chloride did not have any additional inhibitory effect on Salmonella. In the case of P. aeruginosa, a concentration of 0.3 ml of the extract/100 g of meat showed a bacteriostatic effect, while a concentration of 3 ml/100 g of meat showed a bactericidal effect. When 1% w/w of sodium chloride was added to the meat together with the extract, the concentration needed to kill P. aeruginosa was reduced.

Capsicum↗
PubMed2003

The potential of vancomycin-resistant enterococci to persist in fermented and pasteurised meat products.

Experiments with 148 isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were performed to assess their potential to persist and grow in fermented sausages and pasteurised meat products. All strains were meat isolates and Van-type A, except a single VanC1 strain. In total, 143 strains of Enterococcus faecium were involved. Eight selected strains were examined for their potential to grow at high salt and nitrite levels and at reduced pH. The same isolates were used in experiments with fermented sausages. All available strains were subjected to heating tests in meat suspensions with added curing ingredients. All but one of the eight tested isolates grew at pH 4.0 in tryptone soya broth (TSB). With the combination of 8% w/w NaCl, 400 ppm NaNO2 and 0.5% w/w glucose in the meat suspension, all isolates grew at 37 degrees C, whereas none grew at 7 degrees C even after 56 days. With the addition of 10% w/w NaCl, 200 ppm NaNO2 and 0.5% w/w glucose, still one E. faecium isolate grew at 37 degrees C, although very slowly. Overall, the strains tolerated high salt and nitrite concentrations and reduced pH very well, even beyond levels applied in the regular production of fermented and/or pasteurised meat products. The tested strains could be isolated after the fermentation and further ripening of "boerenmetworst" and "snijworst". Overall, their colony counts decreased on average about 1 log-unit over a period of 60 days after batter manufacture. All 148 isolates demonstrated a relatively weak thermal resistance compared to results for selected vancomycin-sensitive enterococci strains reported in the literature and to results collected under identical experimental conditions in this laboratory. None of the strains (log inoculation level about 5-6 ml(-1) for each isolate) could be cultured after heating at 70 degrees C for 10 min.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Differences in pathogenicity for chick embryos and growth kinetics at 37 degrees C between clinical and meat isolates of Listeria monocytogenes previously stored at 4 degrees C.

Fifteen clinical strains of Listeria monocytogenes (eight strains of serogroup 4 and seven strains of serogroup 1) and 15 meat isolates (all serogroup 1) were stored with no growth in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.0) at 4 degrees C for 4 weeks. Pathogenicity for 14 day old chick embryos and growth kinetics in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth at 37 degrees C of the strains were determined before and after storage. Although no differences in pathogenicity between clinical and meat strains were found when tested as fresh cultures significant differences became apparent after cold storage. Firstly, the pathogenicity of clinical strains was not affected by storage, whereas the average mortality of embryos inoculated with meat strains decreased from 98.7 to 68.0%. Secondly, clinical strains subcultured at 37 degrees C had a significantly shorter average lag phase than meat strains after cold storage. The results of this study indicate that strains that caused human listeriosis have a higher resistance to the effects of unfavourable storage conditions than meat strains with respect to pathogenicity and lag phase duration at body temperature.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Protective cultures inhibit growth of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cooked, sliced, vacuum- and gas-packaged meat.

Contamination of cooked meat products with Listeria monocytogenes poses a constant threat to the meat industry. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the use of indigenous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as protective cultures in cooked meat products. Cooked, sliced, vacuum- or gas-packaged ham and servelat sausage from nine meat factories in Norway were inoculated with 10(3) cfu/g of a mixture of three rifampicin resistant (rif-mutant) strains of L. monocytogenes and stored at 8 degrees C for four weeks. Growth of L. monocytogenes and indigenous lactic acid flora was followed throughout the storage period. LAB were isolated from samples where L. monocytogenes failed to grow. Five different strains growing well at 3 degrees C. pH 6.2, with 3% NaCl, and producing moderate amounts of acid were selected for challenge experiments with the rif-resistant strains of L. monocytogenes. a nalidixic acid/streptomycin sulphate-resistant strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and a mixture of three rif-resistant strains of Yersinia enterocolitica O:3. All five LAB strains inhibited growth of both L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7. No inhibition of Y. enterocolitica O:3 was observed. A professional taste panel evaluated cooked, sliced, vacuum-packaged ham inoculated with each of the five test strains after storage for 21 days at 8 degrees C. All samples had acceptable sensory properties. The five LAB strains hybridised to a 23S rRNA oligonucleotide probe specific for Lactobacillus sakei. These indigenous LAB may be used as protective cultures to inhibit growth of L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 in cooked meat products.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Factors associated with sources of influence/information in reducing red meat by elderly subjects.

A number of studies have found that health beliefs and social influences predict changes in dietary intake, including red meat. These studies have not determined what kinds of individuals are more likely to change their diets due to the advice of physicians, the advice of significant others, or because of mass-media exposure. We obtained data from 424 elderly Houstonians regarding whether they had attempted to reduce red meat consumption and if so, why. Social network, health status, food attitude and demographic variables are used to differentiate those who have made physician-induced changes from other sources of influence/information for change. Elderly subjects with smaller abdominal girth measurements are more likely to make red meat reductions regardless of the source of influence/information; those who believe in the efficacy of health foods are more likely to give physicians and mass media as sources of influence/information for red meat reductions. Men are more likely than women to report red meat reductions because of mass media and physician influences. Women who receive a greater amount of companionship from their social networks are more likely to change because of friends/relatives influences.

Aged↗