Red meat and processed meat consumption and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis

High consumption of red meat and processed meat has been associated with increased risk of several chronic diseases. A meta-analysis was published in the American  Journal of  Epidemiology Feb 1  2014 t summarizing the evidence from prospective studies on red meat and processed meat consumption in relationship to all-cause mortality.

Pertinent studies were identified by searching PubMed through May 2013 and by reviewing the reference lists of retrieved articles. Prospective studies that reported relative risks with 95% confidence intervals for the association of red meat or processed meat consumption with all-cause mortality were eligible.

In a dose-response meta-analysis, consumption of processed meat and total red meat was statistically significantly positively associated with all-cause mortality in a nonlinear fashion. These results indicate that high consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, may increase all-cause mortality.