Summary
This meta-analysis found that the consumption of either processed or unprocessed red meat, or both, was positively associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in general and specifically with coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and diabetes. There were no differences in these associations with men and women, but the associations were generally stronger in western (i.e., USA, Europe, and Australia) compared to eastern (i.e., Asia and West Africa) settings. Among the strengths of this study were efforts to investigate whether there were potential differences between sexes and different settings. Furthermore the author tested the robustness of their results by excluding studies of lower quality and found that their results remained the same. Some limitations of this study are that most studies used questionnaires to assess intake of meat, which can be prone to misestimations. The studies included in this meta-analysis are observational studies, where it is not possible to keep track of every possible factor that might also influence meat consumption and could obscure the results. In conclusion the authors state that ”lowering red [meat] consumption is beneficial for the prevention of CVD and diabetes”.
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