Red Meat Consumption Purportedly Associated with Increased Mortality Risk

A recent meta-analysis has allegedly found that “high consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, may increase all-cause mortality.” Susanna Larsson and Nicola Orsini, “Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption and All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis,” American Journal of Epidemiology, October 2013. Based on data from nine prospective studies, the meta-analysis focused on reported relative risks associated with the consumption of unprocessed red meat (“beef, pork, lamb, or game”) and processed meat (“any meat preserved by smoking, salting, curing, or by the addition of chemical preservatives”).

“Overall,” states the study, “those in the highest category of processed meat and total red meat consumption had increased all-cause mortality of 23% and 29%, respectively, compared with those in the lowest category.” The authors also noted that unprocessed red meat “was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality,” hypothesizing that the added salt in processed meat “may increase all-cause mortality by increasing the risk of major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease.”

“Results from the dose-response meta-analysis suggested that processed meat and total red meat consumption is associated with all-cause mortality in a nonlinear fashion with a steeper increase in all-cause mortality at intakes below approximately 1 serving per day,” concludes the study. “This finding suggests that all-cause mortality is elevated even at low intakes of processed meat and total red meat.”