Meat Consumption and Mortality

In a study that explored the association between meat consumption and longevity, a half-million Americans (age range, 50–71) completed baseline food frequency questionnaires and were followed for 10 years. Intakes of red, white, and processed meats were categorized into quintiles.

After adjustments for multiple health-related and demographic confounders (e.g., smoking, ethnicity), 10-year risks for total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular mortality were greater among people in the highest quintile of red-meat intake than among those in the lowest (hazard ratios, 1.31, 1.22, and 1.27, respectively). Similar trends (but lower HRs) were seen for processed meat intake.