Meat consumption: Which are the current global risks? A review of recent (2010-2020) evidences.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing literature without systematic search or meta-analytic pooling.
PubMed 33233049 · doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109341
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative review synthesizing scientific literature published between 2010 and 2020 concerning the global health and environmental risks associated with meat consumption, covering red meat, processed meat, and wild meat.
What was found
The abstract reports no primary quantitative data or statistical effect sizes. It summarizes established risks and classifications, noting that livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and water scarcity, while reiterating the 2015 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifications of processed meat as carcinogenic (Group 1) and red meat as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A). It also notes that fat-soluble environmental contaminants (such as PCDD/Fs, PCBs, PBDEs, and PCNs) in meat fat link to cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, and highlights viral infection risks associated with wild meat trade. The authors state that post-2015 literature continues to support substantial reductions in meat consumption.
Why it matters
The paper collates multi-domain arguments—spanning epidemiology, toxicology, zoonotic disease, and climate science—to argue for coordinated dietary shifts away from high meat consumption.
Limits
As a narrative review, the abstract provides no systematic search strategy, PRISMA flow, inclusion criteria, or study quality appraisal. No quantitative metrics, relative risks, or confidence intervals are reported from the underlying studies.
Cited by
- supports The World Health Organization classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, indicating it is cancer-causing to humans.