Difference between meat types

[Guest guest]

I recall us discussing earlier studies linking meat to health

outcomes, and I had questioned whether meat type was relevant. After

all, it seemed to me that someone consuming red meat from organic,

pasture-raised sources and/or wild game would be different than

someone consuming factory-farmed meat, and/or meat that had been

highly processed.

Turns out, at least according to this study, I may have been on the right track.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.924977v1

Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Incident Coronary Heart

Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes Mellitus. A Systematic Review and

Meta-Analysis

Renata Micha RD, PhD*, K. Wallace BA, and Dariush Mozaffarian MD, DrPH

Circulation. 2010 Published online before print May 17, 2010, doi:

10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.924977

Background—Meat consumption is inconsistently associated with

development of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and diabetes

mellitus, limiting quantitative recommendations for consumption

levels. Effects of meat intake on these different outcomes, as well as

of red versus processed meat, may also vary.

Methods and Results—We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis

of evidence for relationships of red (unprocessed), processed, and

total meat consumption with incident CHD, stroke, and diabetes

mellitus... Red meat intake was not associated with CHD or diabetes

mellitus. Conversely, processed meat intake was associated with 42%

higher risk of CHD and 19% higher risk of diabetes mellitus.

Associations were intermediate for total meat intake. Consumption of

red and processed meat were not associated with stroke, but only 3

studies evaluated these relationships.

Conclusions—Consumption of processed meats, but not red meats, is

associated with higher incidence of CHD and diabetes mellitus. These

results highlight the need for better understanding of potential

mechanisms of effects and for particular focus on processed meats for

dietary and policy recommendations.

Typing this while eating my elk curry in Toronto, ON,

Krista

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Krista -Dixon, PhD

Editor-in-Chief, Spezzatino

Research Director, Healthy Food Bank

www.spezzatino.com

www.healthyfoodbank.com

krista@...

800.497.4925 x707