Meat consumption and mortality - results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Abstract

BackgroundRecently, some US cohorts have shown a moderate association between red and processed meat consumption and mortality supporting the results of previous studies among vegetarians. The aim of this study was to examine the association of red meat, processed meat, and poultry consumption with the risk of early death in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).MethodsIncluded in the analysis were 448,568 men and women without prevalent cancer, stroke, or myocardial infarction, and with complete information on diet, smoking, physical activity and body mass index, who were between 35 and 69 years old at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association of meat consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.ResultsAs of June 2009, 26,344 deaths were observed. After multivariate adjustment, a high consumption of red meat was related to higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.28, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day), and the association was stronger for processed meat (HR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.66, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day). After correction for measurement error, higher all-cause mortality remained significant only for processed meat (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.25, per 50 g/d). We estimated that 3.3% (95% CI 1.5% to 5.0%) of deaths could be prevented if all participants had a processed meat consumption of less than 20 g/day. Significant associations with processed meat intake were observed for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and 'other causes of death'. The consumption of poultry was not related to all-cause mortality.ConclusionsThe results of our analysis support a moderate positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality, in particular due to cardiovascular diseases, but also to cancer.

Strategic nutrition: a vision for the twenty-first century

“…The evidence from cohort studies indicates that persons who habitually consume a diet rich in these foods have a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (see above), CHD (32) and colon cancer (33) . In stark contrast, consumption of red meat and of processed meat is associated with increased risk of CVD, cancer and diabetes (32,(34)(35)(36) .…”

Correlational study and randomised controlled trial for understanding and changing red meat consumption: The role of eating identities

“…In fact, Europeans on average consume 51 grams per day of red meat (women consume an average of 33.1 grams per day). In Italy, men consumed an average of 57.8 grams per day of red meat whereas for women it was 40.8 grams (Rohrmann et al, 2013).…”

Fried potato consumption is associated with elevated mortality: an 8-y longitudinal cohort study

“…French fries and chips) has dramatically increased (2). Potatoes 26 are rich in starch and have a high-glycemic index, which has been associated with an 27 increased risk of developing obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3). 28 However, compared with other common carbohydrate sources, potatoes have a low energy 29 density because of their high-water content (4).…”

“…Therefore, more studies are 220 warranted to understand whether higher fried potatoes consumption is associated with higher 221 CVD and cancer mortality, due to higher intake of trans fatty acids, oxidized lipids, acrolein, 222 acrylamide, furan, and glycidamide (25,26). Third, people consuming fried potatoes more 223 frequently might have other unhealthy dietary habits, such as increased consumption of 224 processed red meat, salty foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, which may increase per se 225 the risk of death (27,28). Finally, a lower socio-economic status could play a role in the 226 association between high fried potatoes consumption and mortality.…”