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A new large-scale US study has shown that an increase in the amount of red meat in the diet, especially of the red meat processed, appears to be linked to an increased risk of death, while replacing it with a alternative plant-based could help reduce the risk. .
Led by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health researchers and published Thursday in the BMJ, the new study examined data collected from 53,553 registered US nurses, aged 30 to 55, and 27,916 health professionals Americans aged 40 to 75, all free of cardiovascular disease. and cancer early in the study.
Participants were asked to complete a meal frequency questionnaire (FFQ) every four years, indicating how often they ate various foods over the past year.
They were then divided into five categories based on their reported consumption of red meat.
After taking into account age and other determinants, the researchers found that an increase in red meat consumption over an eight-year period was associated with a higher risk of death over the next eight years in women and men.
Specifically, the increase in total red meat consumption of at least 3.5 servings per week over the past eight years was associated with a 10% higher risk of death over the next eight months. years, an increase in unprocessed red meat was associated with a 9% higher risk, while increasing the consumption of processed red meat, such as bacon, hot dogs, sausages and salami, was associated with a risk 13% higher.
The associations were also observed in different age groups and did not appear to be affected by levels of physical activity, food quality, smoking and alcohol consumption.
However, reducing the consumption of red meat, while increasing consumption of healthy protein sources, such as skinless poultry, eggs and fish, as well as whole grains and vegetables, appears to reduce the risk of death with time. The exchange of one serving of red meat per day for a portion of fish in the last eight years was associated with a lower risk of death of 17% over the next eight years.
Similar associations were also observed when looking at the short-term (four years) and longer-term (12 years) effects of the change in red meat consumption, as well as the replacement of red meat by healthier alternatives.
As an observational study, the researchers point out that they can not establish a cause-and-effect relationship and that the study has certain limitations, including that of primarily studying registered white health professionals rather than a more diverse group of participants.
However, the authors also add that one of the strengths of the study is to examine a large number of people over a long follow-up period and note that the results provide "a practical message to the general public about how dynamic changes in the consumption of red meat are associated with health. "
"Changing the source of protein or eating healthy plant-based foods such as vegetables or whole grains can improve longevity," they conclude.
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