Health effects associated with consumption of unprocessed red meat: a Burden of Proof study.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-regression of observational studies
PubMed 36216940 · doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01968-z
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review and meta-regression evaluating the association between unprocessed red meat consumption and six health outcomes (colorectal cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke). The meta-regression relaxed log-linearity assumptions and incorporated between-study heterogeneity using a Burden of Proof framework to assess evidence strength.
What was found
Weak evidence of an association was found between unprocessed red meat consumption and colorectal cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and ischemic heart disease. No evidence of an association was found for ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. While combined risk for all six outcomes was minimized at 0 g per day, the 95% uncertainty interval incorporating between-study heterogeneity ranged from 0 to 200 g per day.
Why it matters
This analysis shows that current evidence linking unprocessed red meat intake to chronic disease is weak and carries wide uncertainty, insufficient to support strong dietary recommendations.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total number of included studies or participants. The analysis relies on observational data vulnerable to residual confounding and dietary measurement error, and large between-study heterogeneity precluded precise risk estimation.
Cited by
- supports A 2022 analysis published in Nature Medicine concluded that the association between red meat consumption and adverse health outcomes was weak.