Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of high mortality worldwide, and high meat consumption could be another risk factor. Eating red meat as wellprocessed meat productsmay affect heart health later in life, according to new research. This was revealed by a recent meta-analysis of studies of over 1.4 million people followed for 30 years.
How high meat consumption affects cardiovascular health
Until now, it was unclear whether eating meat increases the risk of heart disease and whether this varies between different types of meat. Researchers at the University of Oxford have now conducted the largest systematic review of prospective evidence to date. The study participants carried out detailed nutritional analyzes. Overall, the evidence from the analysis suggested that every 50g/day increase in processed meat intakeRisk of coronary heart diseaseincreased by 18%. Each 50g/day more unprocessed red meat was associated with a 9% increased risk. However, there was no clear association between poultry consumption and an increased risk of coronary heart disease. The results are due to the high levels of saturated fat in red meat and salt in processed meat. High saturated fat intake also increases levels of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Excessive salt consumption increases blood pressure.
Previous research consistently links red and processed meat to colon cancer. The current results further suggest its additional negative role in heart disease. In addition, meat production increases greenhouse gas emissions, so reducing consumption could contribute to personal health. The studies involved in this analysis were based primarily on adults living in Europe or the United States. However, the study authors say they will need more data to examine these associations in other populations, including East Asia and Africa.This studyshows that reducing the consumption of red and processed meat would also be of great benefit to the health system.
