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Unprocessed Red and Processed Meats and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Type 2 Diabetes – An Updated Review of the Evidence

  • Nutrition (BV Howard, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that effects of red meat consumption on coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes could vary depending on processing. We reviewed the evidence for effects of unprocessed (fresh/frozen) red and processed (using sodium/other preservatives) meat consumption on CHD and diabetes. In meta-analyses of prospective cohorts, higher risk of CHD is seen with processed meat consumption (RR per 50 g: 1.42, 95 %CI = 1.07–1.89), but a smaller increase or no risk is seen with unprocessed meat consumption. Differences in sodium content (~400 % higher in processed meat) appear to account for about two-thirds of this risk difference. In similar analyses, both unprocessed red and processed meat consumption are associated with incident diabetes, with higher risk per g of processed (RR per 50 g: 1.51, 95 %CI = 1.25–1.83) versus unprocessed (RR per 100 g: 1.19, 95 % CI = 1.04–1.37) meats. Contents of heme iron and dietary cholesterol may partly account for these associations. The overall findings suggest that neither unprocessed red nor processed meat consumption is beneficial for cardiometabolic health, and that clinical and public health guidance should especially prioritize reducing processed meat consumption.

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Disclosure

R. Micha: none; G. Michas: none; D. Mozaffarian: Received ad hoc honoraria from Nutrition Impact, Unilever, and SPRIM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Renata Micha

  2. Department of Food Science and Technology, Unit of Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Renata Micha

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Kalamata, Kalamata, Greece

    Georgios Michas

  4. Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave Bldg 2-319, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Dariush Mozaffarian

  5. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 665 Huntington Ave Bldg 2-319, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Dariush Mozaffarian

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  1. Renata Micha
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Correspondence to Dariush Mozaffarian.

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Micha, R., Michas, G. & Mozaffarian, D. Unprocessed Red and Processed Meats and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Type 2 Diabetes – An Updated Review of the Evidence. Curr Atheroscler Rep 14, 515–524 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-012-0282-8

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