4.4 Million People Studied: Red Meat Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes

Every extra 100g of unprocessed red meat a day is linked to an 11% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and every 50g of processed meat to a 26% higher risk, a review covering more than 4.4 million people has found.

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health, with Dr. Jie V. Zhao as senior author, pooled 43 observational studies on cardiovascular disease, with 4,462,810 participants, and 27 on diabetes, with 1,760,774. Both unprocessed and processed red meat were linked to higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, type 2 diabetes and diabetes in pregnancy, with stronger links to stroke and type 2 diabetes in Western countries and no difference between men and women. The review is published in the European Heart Journal.

The authors conclude:

Unprocessed and processed red meat consumption are both associated with higher risk of CVD, CVD subtypes, and diabetes, with a stronger association in western settings but no sex difference.

The full review is on the European Heart Journal site. Beans, lentils and tofu make easy swaps.

It adds weight to the Oxford study of 475,000 people linking meat to heart disease and diabetes and the Harvard study linking more red meat to 10% higher risk of death.

The case for plant protein just keeps getting stronger!