Relative risks (RRs) of incident coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus and colorectal cancer for differences of 100 g/day usual intakes of red and 50 g/day of usual intakes of processed meat from two meta-analyses
| Exposure | Disease | RR (95% CI) | Meta-analysis | Comments |
| Red meat* (RR per 100 g/day) | Coronary heart disease | 1.00 (0.81 to 1.23) | Micha et al 10 | Based on four estimates, most controlled for total energy intake. No between-study heterogeneity or publication bias was evident. The range of exposures across all included studies (means in lowest/highest categories) was 15.7–118.6 g/day. |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1.16 (0.92 to 1.46) | Micha et al 10 | Based on five estimates, most controlled for total energy intake. No between-study heterogeneity or publication bias was evident. The range of exposures across all included studies (means in lowest/highest categories) was 15.7–118.6 g/day. | |
| Colorectal cancer | 1.17 (1.05 to 1.31) | WCRF/AICR9 | Based on eight cohort studies, most controlled for total energy intake. There was no evidence of heterogeneity was present, and a random-effects model was used. There were insufficient studies to check for publication bias. Intakes per category spanned the range 1 to >200 g/day. | |
| Processed meat† (RR per 50 g/day) | Coronary heart disease | 1.42 (1.07 to 1.89) | Micha et al 10 | Based on six estimates, most controlled for total energy intake. Between-study heterogeneity and publication bias were evident; sensitivity analysis did not significantly change the outcome, and a random-effects model was used. The range of exposures across all included studies (means in lowest/highest categories) was 2.9–40.7 g/day. |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1.19 (1.11 to 1.27) | Micha et al 10 | Based on six estimates, most controlled for total dietary energy. Some heterogeneity was evident, but publication bias was not; sensitivity analysis did not significantly change the outcome, and a random-effects model was used. The range of exposures across all studies (means in lowest/highest categories) was 2.9–40.7 g/day. | |
| Colorectal cancer | 1.18 (1.10 to 1.28) | WCRF/AICR9 | Based on nine cohort studies, most controlled for total energy intake. Low heterogeneity was present, and a random-effects model was used. Publication bias was not evident. Intakes per category spanned the range 1 to>100 g/day. |
↵* Red meat as beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton and goat, either fresh, minced (including hamburgers) or frozen, but unprocessed other than by cooking with heat. Although processed meats were primarily red meats, the term ‘red meat’ has been used in this report to refer to ‘unprocessed red meat’, unless otherwise specified.
↵† Processed meat as meat preserved by smoking, curing, salting or addition of nitrates, nitrites or other preservatives. Under this definition, processed meats were primarily red, but included white meats, and included ham, bacon, pastrami, salami, sausages and processed deli or luncheon meats.