ESCANABA — Good food is a wonderful thing, and this is reflected in our culture. Much of our economy is centered around food, as demonstrated by the multitude of “food-centric” commercials seen on TV. Drive down most any city street in America and you’ll see a variety of eating establishments, filled with customers. Millions of people are employed in the manufacture and production of our food. But how much thought goes into what is being consumed by the average American? What went into the production of the take-out meal they grabbed from the local fast food joint?

Many don’t consider a meal complete without a generous serving of meat, the vast majority of which is now purchased from commercial sources. Few get their meat directly from farmers or farming cooperatives. But increasing attention is being directed at how livestock is raised, and the effects of this process on our health. If you consume meat purchased from the typical sources, this is a critically important subject.

One widespread concern about meat production is this industry’s use of antibiotics. Approximately 80 percent of the antibiotics sold in the United States are used in meat and poultry production, on healthy animals to promote growth. Antibiotics were considered a miraculous weapon in the battle to fight disease when they were first introduced. These drugs proved equally extraordinary on the farm starting in the 1950s, curing livestock’s infections and keeping illness at bay. Much to everyone’s surprise, the drugs also turned out to have the lucrative side effect of making animals grow faster.

But according to many scientific and health policy experts, giving animals antibiotics in order to increase food production is a threat to public health and should be stopped. There’s no doubt it makes cattle and poultry gain weight faster. But scientific bodies have long concluded that there is a connection between antibiotic use in animals and the loss of effectiveness of these drugs in human medicine. It all comes down to the abilities of bacteria to develop resistance.

When you feed antibiotics to animals, the bacteria in and around the animals are exposed to the drug, and many of them die, but there are always some that the drug can’t kill. Those that survive and proliferate become superbugs, resistant to these drugs. Perhaps the most dramatic landmark decision was the FDA’s approval of the use of the antibiotic Cipro. Used in poultry production since ’95, by 1999 nearly 20 percent of the chicken breasts sampled contained ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter, a disease-causing bacterium.

There’s been shockingly little done to limit antibiotic use on livestock, although there is continued interest by the public about the use of these drugs in this manner. The world over, scientists are calling for the agriculture industry to curb the use of antibiotics. Many experts believe we are careening toward a global public health crisis brought on by bacteria that do not respond to antibiotics. The World Health Organization has said that if we don’t change course, we could soon live in a world where everyday conditions could once again become deadly problems.

But there are other health concerns, including an association with an increased risk of cancer. For many years, an association has been found between red meat and heart disease. Previously, it was thought to be because of saturated fats and cholesterol, but this relationship seems to be unclear. Columbia University found that gut bacteria digest a compound, called carnitine, in red meat, converting it into a different compound, and this new material caused the buildup of fatty substances in the arteries, aka hardening of the arteries.

A number of studies have suggested that when it comes to health, a plant-based diet is healthiest. This diet lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. More and more Americans are opting for plant-based foods over meat-based products, simply because they believe it is more healthful. One should eat no more than 18 ounces of cooked red meats each week to reduce cancer risk, while processed meats should be avoided completely. Regardless of your current dietary intake, it seems clear that, at the very least, reducing your intake of animal-based protein is good for your health, and good for the planet.

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Dr. Conway McLean is a physician practicing foot and ankle medicine in the Upper Peninsula, with offices in Escanaba, Marquette, and L’Anse. McLean has lectured internationally on wound care and surgery, being board certified in surgery, orthotic therapy and wound care. His articles on health and wellness appear in multiple local and national publications. Dr. McLean welcomes subject requests for future articles at drcmclean@outlook.com.