A global study has found a link between eating processed meat and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The same study did not find the same link with unprocessed red meat or poultry.
The information comes from the diets and health outcomes of 134,297 people from 21 countries on five continents, which were tracked by researchers for data on meat consumption and cardiovascular disease.
Ten years of follow-up
After following participants for almost a decade, researchers found that consumption of 150 grams or more of processed meat per week was associated with a 46 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease and a 51 percent higher risk of death than those who did not eat processed meat.
However, the researchers also found that moderate levels of unprocessed meat consumption had a neutral effect on health.
The dietary habits of the participants were recorded using food frequency questionnaires, while data on their mortality and major cardiovascular disease events were also collected. This allowed researchers to determine associations between meat consumption patterns and cardiovascular disease events and mortality.
The authors believe that additional research can improve current understanding of the relationship between meat consumption and health outcomes. For example, it is not clear what study participants with lower meat intake ate instead of meat, and if the quality of those foods differed between countries.
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The news
A study confirms the link of processed meat with cardiovascular diseases
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.