Consumption Of Goat Meat Causes High Blood Pressure, Really?

Illustration of mutton, salt and rosemary (Unsplash/Edson Saldaña)

JAKARTA – For someone with hypertension or high blood pressure, eating goat meat is taboo. But is it true that consumption of goat meat can increase blood pressure?

When compared to beef and chicken, mutton is actually more 'healthy'. Because of the content of cholesterol, iron, protein, and calories in 85 grams of mutton, beef, and chicken, here's the comparison:

Calories = mutton (122 calories) : beef (179 calories) : chicken (162 calories)

Cholesterol = mutton (63.8 mg) : beef (73.1 mg) : chicken (76 mg)

Fat = mutton (2.6 grams) : beef (7.9 grams) : chicken meat (6.3 grams)

Saturated fat = mutton (0.79 grams): beef (3 grams): chicken (1.7 grams)

Iron content = mutton (3.2 mg): beef (2.9 mg): chicken (1.5 mg)

Protein = mutton (23 grams): beef (+-25 grams): chicken (+-25 grams)

From the comparison above, one assumption about goat meat can overcome anemia can be justified. Because the iron content is quite high, it can help the production of hemoglobin which is needed by red blood cells.

However, the assumption about consuming goat meat that makes blood pressure rise is not entirely wrong. Because what makes high blood pressure is the cooking process and the portion consumed.

How to cook meat, especially mutton, which is healthy without adding a lot of salt, flavoring, cooking oil, coconut milk, and sweetener sugar.

As reported by SehatQ, Monday, July 19, goat meat is not a trigger for high blood pressure, it's just that goat meat can cause a thermogenic effect. The thermogenic effect is often considered a sign of high blood pressure or hypertension.

The effect is an increase in body heat due to metabolism. So it is often misunderstood that goat meat can increase blood pressure. If after eating goat meat, and blood pressure rise after checking with a sphygmomanometer, there are two possibilities.

In processing goat meat, it is not recommended to add a lot of salt. Salt contains elements of sodium if consumed too much can bind water in the blood vessels and make blood pressure increase.

The second possibility, too large a portion of meat consumed can also make the body dizzy and nauseous because the kidneys are working too hard.