Researchers from the Imperial College London report that to maintain a healthy weight people should eat less meat.

A European study looking at the link between diet and cancer and involving nearly 400,000 adults found that meat intake, particularly when consuming processed meats such as ham and sausages, was linked to weight gain, even in people consuming comparable calories.

Participants in the Europe-wide study were asked to complete a detailed food questionnaire, weighed, measured and then asked to report there weight again five years later.

Detailed analysis of the results found a significant link between meat consumption and weight gain even when overall calorie intake, physical activity and other factors were taken into account.

The research team calculated that eating 250g of meat per day led to an extra 2kg of weight gain over five years.

One theory behind the result is that meat is an energy-dense food which may alter the body’s appetite control.

A spokesperson from the British Dietetic Association said that while self-reporting end-weight could skew results, the study produced interesting findings and that in general, people eat more meat than they actually need and portion sizes are typically too big.

It was suggested that a portion of meat should be about the size of a deck of cards.

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