Red/processed meat consumption and non-cancer-related outcomes in humans: umbrella review

The associations of red/processed meat consumption and cancer-related health outcomes have been well discussed. The umbrella review aimed to summarise the associations of red/processed meat consumption and various non-cancer-related outcomes in humans. We systematically searched the systematic reviews and meta-analyses of associations between red/processed meat intake and health outcomes from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases. The umbrella review has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42021218568). A total of 40 meta-analyses were included. High consumption of red meat, particularly processed meat, was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, CVD and metabolic outcomes. Dose-response analysis revealed that an additional 100 g/d red meat intake was positively associated with a 17 % increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 15 % increased risk of CHD, 14 % of hypertension and 12 % of stroke. The highest dose-response/50 g increase in processed meat consumption at 95 % confident levels was 1 center dot 37, 95 % CI (1 center dot 22, 1 center dot 55) for T2DM, 1 center dot 27, 95 % CI (1 center dot 09, 1 center dot 49) for CHD, 1 center dot 17, 95 % CI (1 center dot 02, 1 center dot 34) for stroke, 1 center dot 15, 95 % CI (1 center dot 11, 1 center dot 19) for all-cause mortality and 1 center dot 08, 95 % CI (1 center dot 02, 1 center dot 14) for heart failure. In addition, red/processed meat intake was associated with several other health-related outcomes. Red and processed meat consumption seems to be more harmful than beneficial to human health in this umbrella review. It is necessary to take the impacts of red/processed meat consumption on non-cancer-related outcomes into consideration when developing new dietary guidelines, which will be of great public health importance. However, more additional randomised controlled trials are warranted to clarify the causality.

Automated summary

This umbrella review aimed to summarize the associations between red/processed meat consumption and various non-cancer-related outcomes. The results showed that high consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic outcomes. Therefore, it is important to consider the impact of red/processed meat consumption on non-cancer-related outcomes when developing dietary guidelines.