After a controversial study last
fall recommending that it was not necessary for people to change their diet in
terms of red meat and processed meat, a large, carefully analyzed new study
links red and processed meat consumption with slightly higher risk of heart
disease and death, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine and
Cornell University.
Eating two servings of red meat,
processed meat or poultry — but not fish — per week was linked to a 3 to 7%
higher risk of cardiovascular disease, the study found. Eating two servings of
red meat or processed meat — but not poultry or fish — per week was associated
with a 3% higher risk of all causes of death.
“It’s a small difference, but it’s
worth trying to reduce red meat and processed meat like pepperoni, bologna and
deli meats,” said senior study author Norrina Allen, associate professor of
preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Red meat consumption also is consistently linked to other health problems like
cancer.”
“Modifying intake of these animal
protein foods may be an important strategy to help reduce the risk of
cardiovascular disease and premature death at a population level,” said lead
study author Victor Zhong, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at
Cornell, who did the research when he was a postdoctoral fellow in Allen’s lab.
The paper
will be published Feb. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The new findings come on the heels
of a controversial meta-analysis published last November that recommended people
not reduce the amount of red meat and processed meat they eat. “Everyone
interpreted that it was OK to eat red meat, but I don’t think that is what the
science supports,” Allen said.
“Our study shows the link to
cardiovascular disease and mortality was robust,” Zhong said.
What should
we eat?
“Fish, seafood and plant-based
sources of protein such as nuts and legumes, including beans and peas, are
excellent alternatives to meat and are under-consumed in the U.S.,” said study
coauthor Linda Van Horn, professor of preventive medicine at Feinberg who also
is a member of the 2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory committee.
The study found a positive
association between poultry intake and cardiovascular disease, but the evidence
so far isn’t sufficient to make a clear recommendation about poultry intake,
Zhong said. Still, fried chicken is not recommended.
The new study pooled together a
large diverse sample from six cohorts, included long follow-up data up to three
decades, harmonized diet data to reduce heterogeneity, adjusted a comprehensive
set of confounders and conducted multiple sensitivity analyses. The study
included 29,682 participants (mean age of 53.7 years at baseline, 44.4% men and
30.7% non-white). Diet data were self-reported by participants, who were asked
a long list of what they ate for the previous year or month.
Key findings:
·
A 3 to 7% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and
premature death for people who ate red meat and processed meat two servings a
week.
·
A 4% higher risk of cardiovascular disease for people
who ate two servings per week of poultry, but the evidence so far is not
sufficient to make a clear recommendation about poultry intake. And the
relationship may be related to the method of cooking the chicken and
consumption of the skin rather than the chicken meat itself.
·
No association between eating fish and cardiovascular
disease or mortality.
Limitations of the study are
participants’ dietary intake was assessed once, and dietary behaviors may have
changed over time. In addition, cooking methods were not considered. Fried
chicken, especially deep fat-fried sources that contribute trans-fatty acids,
and fried fish intake have been positively linked to chronic diseases, Zhong
said.
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