"STOP IT or you'll go blind" is not a warning red meat lovers would expect to hear as they tuck into a juicy steak or loin chop.
They're used to the long list of ailments that will supposedly afflict them as they enjoy their daily dose of barbecued beef or roast leg of lamb, but up to now bad eyesight wasn't one of them.
According to a study by Victoria's Eye and Ear Hospital there is a link between people who eat red meat more than 10 times a week and the early onset of the eye disorder Age-related Macular Degeneration.
One in seven people aged over 50 are affected by AMD, which affects the part of the eye responsible for central vision. Peripheral vision is unaffected by the disease.
The study of the diets of 6734 Melburnians aged between 58 and 69 years found a higher level of AMD in those eating a lot of red meat, particularly salami and continental sausage, the report's author Dr Elaine Chong said.
But Meat and Livestock Australia said more analysis was needed to properly establish any significant link between a red meat diet and AMD.
The findings also had to be balanced against the fact red meat was rich in zinc, which protects against AMD.
An MLA spokesman also said most Australians ate red meat only three to four times a week, much less than the 10 times a week that was argued by the report to cause vision problems.
Defending a red meat diet is nothing new to the beef and lamb industry which has had to combat a litany of health problems attributed to it over the years, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis.
The attacks on the livestock industry continued this week with the release of another study, this time from the US, which found people who eat red meat, particularly barbecued meat, were more likely to die from cancer or heart attack.
