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A global study conducted by Hamilton scientists found a link between the consumption of processed meat and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The same study did not find the same association with unprocessed red meat or poultry.
The information comes from the diets and health indicators of 134 people from 297 countries on five continents, for which the researchers tracked data on meat consumption and cardiovascular disease.
After following participants for nearly a decade, researchers found that eating 150 grams or more of processed meat per week was associated with a 46 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a 51 percent increased risk of death compared to those who did not. ate processed meat.
However, the researchers also found that moderate consumption of unprocessed meat has a neutral effect on health.
“Evidence on the relationship between meat consumption and cardiovascular disease is conflicting. Therefore, we wanted to better understand the relationship between consumption of unprocessed red meat, poultry and processed meat with major cardiovascular disease and mortality," said Romena Iqbal, first author of the study and associate professor at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. . "The body of evidence suggests that eating small amounts of unprocessed meat as part of a healthy diet is unlikely to be harmful," said Mahshid Dehgan, a researcher at McMaster University's Population Health Research Institute (PHRI).
The authors believe that additional research could improve the current understanding of the relationship between meat consumption and health outcomes. For example, it is unclear which study participants with lower meat intake ate meat instead, and whether the quality of these foods varied across countries.
