A global study has found a link between eating processed meat and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease . The same study did not find the same link with raw red meat or poultry.
The information comes from the diets and health outcomes of 134,297 people from 21 countries across five continents , who were tracked by researchers for data on meat consumption and cardiovascular disease.
Ten years of follow-up
After following the participants for nearly a decade, the researchers found that consuming 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 than those who did not eat processed meat.
However, the researchers also found that moderate levels of consumption of unprocessed meats had a neutral effect on health.
The dietary habits of the participants were recorded using food frequency questionnaires, while data on their mortality and major cardiovascular disease events were also collected. This allowed the researchers to determine the associations between meat consumption patterns and cardiovascular disease events and mortality.
The authors believe that additional research may improve the current understanding of the relationship between meat consumption and health outcomes. For example, it is unclear what study participants ate with lower intakes of meat rather than meat, and whether the quality of those foods differed between countries .