Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident cardiovascular disease and mortality: Isfahan cohort study

  1. Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  2. Hypertension Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  3. Interventional Cardiology Research Center, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  4. Pediatric Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  5. Cardiac Rehabilitation Research Center, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  6. Center for Primary Care and Public Health, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
  7. Heart Failure Research Center, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
  8. Faculty of Sport Health and Applied Science, St Mary’s University Twickenham, Twickenham, UK.
  9. School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Int J Food Sci Nutr

Abstract

To investigate the cardiovascular risks associated with red and/or processed meat intake in a large population-based cohort study in Iran. A total of 5432 participants from the Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS) were enrolled. Diet was assessed using a validated, 48-item food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the CVD risk associated with red and processed meat intake. Median follow-up was 11.2 years. Compared to the first tertile, the highest tertile of red meat intake, either alone or in combination with processed meat was associated with a 50% reduced risk of stroke (95% CI: 0.31-0.77; 95% CI: 0.33-0.82, respectively), but increased risk of CVD mortality with corresponding HRs of 1.58 (95% CI: 1.06-2.35) and 1.47 (95% CI: 1.02-2.08), respectively. Red meat and red plus processed meat intake were inversely associated with stroke risk, but positively linked with CVD mortality.

Keywords: Meat; cardiovascular disease; cohort studies; coronary disease; death; stroke.

How to Cite

Narges Grau, Noushin Mohammadifard, Razieh Hassannejhad, Fahimeh Haghighatdoost, Masoumeh Sadeghi, Mohammad Talaei, Firoozeh Sajjadi, Yiannis Mavrommatis , Nizal Sarrafzadegan . Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident cardiovascular disease and mortality: Isfahan cohort study. PInt J Food Sci Nutr. 2021 Oct 28;1-10. doi: 10.1080/09637486.2021.1993797. PMID: 34708679.