Meta-analysis of red meat intake – Don’t fear meat

This is a really interesting article from the Annals of Internal Medicine from November 2019. 

It’s a meta-analysis of studies that had been completed looking at the impact of red meat consumption and total mortality. 

A meta-analysis just means that the study is looking at the data from a compilation of studies that have already been completed versus completing a new study. 

This meta-analysis looked at 61 articles published on studies that reported on 55 cohorts of 1000 participants or greater, for a total of over 4 million participants. 

What’s interesting is that after looking at the data from those studies, it was determined that the association between red and processed meat consumption and all-cause mortality and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes was very small. 

The evidence was of low certainty, meaning there wasn’t anything definitive or even convincing from a data perspective. It’s definitely an interesting read, and I would recommend it, even if it just helps to drive your research into the topic.

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M19-0655