Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants according to meat consumption.
| Variable | Baseline Gender-Specific Medians of Total Meat Consumption | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Consumption 1
(n = 160) |
High Consumption 1 (n = 156) | p-Value | |
| Age (years) | 59.06 ± 6.25 | 58.22 ± 6.63 | 0.244 |
| Gender (% male) | 56.90 | 56.40 | 0.934 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.79 ± 5.77 | 28.45 ± 5.17 | 0.288 |
| Weight change % 2 | −0.18 ± 12.04 | −1.22 ± 7.26 | 0.355 |
| Glucose (mg/dl) | 87.04 ± 17.03 | 92.48 ± 21.36 | 0.013 |
| HbA1C (%) (n = 309) | 5.76 ± 0.61 | 5.84 ± 0.74 | 0.285 |
| HOMA-IR (score) | 2.50 ± 1.63 | 3.00 ± 2.24 | 0.024 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 182.72 ± 37.36 | 180.22 ± 32.17 | 0.526 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 110.62 ± 65.18 | 114.28 ± 56.73 | 0.596 |
| ALT (U/L) | 25.81 ± 10.67 | 28.40 ± 20.33 | 0.160 |
| AST (U/L) | 26.39 ± 8.02 | 24.61 ± 9.13 | 0.068 |
| GGT (U/L) | 25.37 ± 17.76 | 31.20 ± 32.53 | 0.052 |
| Uric acid (mg/dl) | 5.44 ± 1.38 | 5.53 ± 1.41 | 0.569 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) (n = 293) | 85.34 ± 68.95 | 94.24 ± 89.02 | 0.338 |
| Dietary intake and lifestyle habits | |||
| Energy (Kcal) | 1869. 95 ± 681.17 | 2134.61 ± 631.44 | <0.001 |
| Protein (% total Kcal) | 17.26 ± 4.29 | 20.69 ± 4.65 | <0.001 |
| Carbohydrates (%total Kcal) | 43.08 ± 8.79 | 39.12 ± 8.30 | <0.001 |
| Fat (% total Kcal) | 35.93 ± 6.32 | 36.85 ± 6.16 | 0.189 |
| Saturated fatty acids (% total Kcal) | 12.56 ± 3.73 | 12.48 ± 3.33 | 0.835 |
| Cholesterol (mg/day) | 270.10 ± 130.44 | 407.12 ± 215.84 | <0.001 |
| Coffee (cup/day) | 3.00 ± 2.96 | 2.78 ± 2.76 | 0.514 |
| Fiber (g/day) | 23.89 ± 13.04 | 22.88 ± 9.69 | 0.437 |
| Sugared beverages (cups/day) | 1.82 ± 3.01 | 1.88 ± 3.53 | 0.865 |
| Smoking (% ever smokers) | 50.60 | 49.40 | 0.822 |
| Physical activity (h/week) | 2.73 ± 3.49 | 2.43 ± 2.95 | 0.404 |
| Alcohol (portions/week) | 1.69 ± 2.57 | 1.95 ± 3.00 | 0.414 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; HOMA-IR, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, gamma glutamyl transferase. 1 High meat consumption defined above the gender-specific medians: total meat cutoff ≥ 88.2 g/day among women and 122.9 g/day among men. 2 Weight change calculated as the percentage of change (in Kg) from baseline: (weight in follow up minus weight in baseline)/weight in baseline × 100.