The findings of a recent global study led by Hamilton scientists found a link between an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and eating processed meat. The same study, however, did not find the same link with red meat or unprocessed poultry.
The information comes from the diets and health outcomes of 1,34,297 people from 21 countries on five continents, which were tracked by researchers to obtain data on meat consumption and cardiovascular disease.
After following participants for nearly a decade, the researchers found that consuming 150 grams or more of processed meat per week was associated with a 46% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and a 51% higher risk of death than those who did not eat unprocessed meat.
However, the researchers also found that moderate levels of unprocessed meat consumption had a neutral effect on health.
“The evidence for an association between meat intake and cardiovascular disease is inconsistent. Therefore, we wanted to better understand the associations between intakes of red meat, poultry, and unprocessed processed meat with major cardiovascular disease events and mortality.” , said Romaina Iqbal, first author of the study and associate professor at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.
“All the available data indicates that consuming a modest amount of unprocessed meat as part of a healthy dietary pattern is likely to be harmful,” said Mahshid Dehghan, a researcher at the Health Research Institute. of Population (PHRI) of McMaster and Hamilton University. Health Sciences.
The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study was launched in 2003 and is the first multinational study to provide information on the association between unprocessed and processed meat intakes with the health outcomes of low-income countries. , medium and high.
“The PURE study examines substantially more diverse populations and broad dietary patterns, allowing us to provide new evidence that distinguishes the effects of processed meats and unprocessed meats,” said lead author Salim Yusuf, executive director of the PHRI.
Participants ’dietary habits were recorded using food frequency questionnaires, while data on their mortality and major cardiovascular disease events were also collected. This allowed the researchers to determine the associations between meat consumption patterns and cardiovascular disease events and mortality.
The authors believe that additional research may improve the current understanding of the relationship between meat consumption and health outcomes. For example, it is unclear which study participants ate instead of meat, and whether the quality of these foods differed between countries.
Food substitutes other than meat may have implications for interpreting the associations between meat consumption and health outcomes. However, the study’s authors believe their findings “indicate that limiting the intake of processed meat should be encouraged.”
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