Processed meats linked to higher CHD, diabetes risk

Consumption of processed meats, but not red meats, was associated with higher incidence of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, study findings suggested.

Massachusetts-based researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the relationship between red, processed and total meat consumption and incident CHD, stroke and diabetes mellitus. They searched for any cohort study, case-control study or randomized trial that assessed this relationship in generally healthy adults. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria, including 17 prospective cohorts and three case-control studies, totaling 1,218,380 individuals for the analysis. Of those, 23,889 had CHD, 2,280 had incidences of stroke and 10,797 had diabetes.

Red meat intake was not associated with CHD (n=4 studies; RR per 100 g serving/day=1.00; 95% CI, 0.81-1.23) or diabetes (n=5; RR=1.16; 95% CI, 0.92-1.46). In contrast, processed meat intake was associated with 42% increase in the risk for CHD (n=4; RR per 50 g serving/day=1.42; 95% CI, 1.07-1.89) and 19% increase in the risk for diabetes (n=7; RR=1.19; 95% CI, 1.11-1.27). Consumption of red and processed meat was not associated with stroke, although only three studies evaluated this relationship.

“Our findings demonstrate that consumption of processed meat in particular is associated with incidence of CHD and diabetes mellitus, highlighting the importance of separate consideration of health effects, underlying mechanisms and policy implications of different types of processed versus unprocessed foods,” the researchers concluded. “Future research should carefully distinguish between different types of meat, and policy measures for improving cardiometabolic health should focus particularly on reducing processed meat consumption, including consideration of recommendation for specific quantitative limits.”

Micha R. Circulation. 2010; 121:2271-2283.

This was a very good study and much needed. It made a very significant observation that has not been emphasized in the past. There is a difference in the outcome of examining unprocessed meat vs. processed meat in relationship to the development of both CHD and diabetes. The study showed that processed meats have a deleterious effect above and beyond the usual concerns of meat consumption, namely saturated fats and cholesterol. Other presumed additives or things that occur in during processing result in a higher risk for developing underlying CHD and diabetes.

The overall problem of this kind of study, though, is that it is a meta-analysis of observational data. All of these studies are not really randomized clinical trials in the traditional sense, but rather a series of large observational studies. Although highly useful, it can be at times misleading.

– Elliot Rapaport, MD

Cardiology Today Editorial Board

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