Consuming small amounts of red and processed meat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and death

According to a new study, eating small amounts of red or processed meat increases the risk of death from all causes, especially cardiovascular disease.

The School of Public Health at Loma Linda University aimed to fill the research gap in studies of red meat consumption. Previously, studies have compared relatively higher levels of red meat consumption with lower intakes.

Saeed Mastour Alshahrani, lead author of the study and PhD student, said: "A question about the effect of lower absorption levels compared to the lack of meat consumption is remained unanswered. We wanted to take a closer look at the badociation of low consumption of red and processed meat with all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality compared to those who did not eat meat at all. "

Study vegetarians and people with low meat consumption

The study is titled "Red and Processed Meat and Mortality in a Low-Consumption Population", and is part of a prospective cohort study of about 96,000 Seventh-day Adventist men and women in the United States and Canada . Adventists are a religious population of about 50% vegetarians, and those who consume meat at a low level. Of those who consumed meat, 90 percent of them ate only two ounces or less of red meat a day. This group allowed researchers to compare zero consumption of red and processed meat with low consumption in a broad setting.

Increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease

Processed meat (modified by drying, smoking or salting, such as ham and salami) is not significantly badociated with mortality risk. This is probably due to a very small proportion of the population consuming processed meat. However, total consumption of red and processed meat was badociated with a relatively higher total number of deaths and deaths from cardiovascular disease.

Nearly 2,600 of the reported deaths were due to cardiovascular disease and more than 1,800 to cancer.

Michael Orlich, MD, Ph.D., co-director of AHS-2 and co-author of the study, said, "Our findings reinforce evidence that already suggests that consumption of red and processed meat may have a negative impact. negative impact on health and longevity.