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. 2022 Dec 1;14(23):5115. doi: 10.3390/nu14235115

Table 3.

Association between red meat, processed meat, and total meat and poultry intake and incidence of some major chronic diseases/mortality of major disease groups (RR, 95% C.I.). The dose-response meta-analysis always refers to an additional serving of a food per day relative to the average intake of that food observed in a cohort study (100 g for total meat, red meat, and poultry; 50 g for processed meat).

Health Outcomes Unit of Intake RR (95% C.I.) N° of Prospective Studies References
Red Meat
All-cause
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest / 2 [113]
1.10 (1.00–1.22) 12 [114]
Dose-Response 1.10 (1.04–1.18) 10
1.12 (1.05–1.21) / [115]
Total CVDs
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest 0.88 (0.77–1.01) a 8 [116]
1.16 (1.03–1.32) 5 [117]
Dose-Response 1.15 (1.05–1.26) 3
CHD Highest vs. Lowest 1.15 (1.08–1.23) / [115]
1.16 (1.08–1.24) 3 [118]
Dose-Response 1.15 (1.08–1.23) 3
Stroke Highest vs. Lowest 1.16 (1.08–1.25) 7
1.11 (1.03–1.20) 3 [119]
Dose-Response 1.12 (1.06–1.17) 7
/
[118]
[115]
HBP Highest vs. Lowest 1.15 (1.02–1.28) 7 [120]
Dose-Response 1.14 (1.02–1.28) 7
CHF Highest vs. Lowest 1.12 (1.04–1.21) 5 [118]
Dose-Response 1.08 (1.02–1.14) 4
T2D Highest vs. Lowest 1.22 (1.10–1.36) 13 [121]
Dose-Response 1.17 (1.08–1.26) 14 [122]
1.13 (1.03–1.23) / [115]
Overweight/obesity Highest vs. Lowest 1.23 (1.07–1.41) 1 [123]
Dose-Response No data
MetS Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Total cancer
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest / 2 [113]
Dose-Response No data
Total cancer
incidence
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
CRC Highest vs. Lowest 1.12 (1.06–1.18) 25 [124]
Dose-Response 1.12 (1.06–1.19) 18
/
[124]
[115]
1.12 (1.00–1.25) 8 [125]
BREAST CANCER Highest vs. Lowest 1.09 (0.99–1.21) 7 [126]
/ 8 [127]
Dose-Response 1.07 (1.01–1.14) 6
GASTRIC CANCER Highest vs. Lowest /
/
13
6
[128]
[129]
Dose-Response / 4 [129]
Processed Meat
All-cause
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest 1.21 (1.16–1.26) 7 [114]
Dose-Response 1.23 (1.12–1.36) 7
1.41 (1.21–1.67) / [115]
Total CVD
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest 0.81 (0.75–0.87) / [116]
1.18 (1.05–1.32) 7 [117]
Dose-Response 1.24 (1.09–1.40) 6
1.15 (1.07–1.24) 6 [113]
CHD Highest vs. Lowest 1.15 (0.99–1.33) 5 [118]
Dose-Response 1.27 (1.09–1.49) 3
/
[118]
[115]
1.42 (1.07–1.89) 6 [130]
STROKE Highest vs. Lowest 1.16 (1.07–1.26) 6 [118]
1.17 (1.08–1.25) 4 [119]
Dose-Response 1.17 (1.02–1.34) 6
/
[118]
[115]
HBP Highest vs. Lowest 1.12 (1.02–1.23) 5 [120]
Dose-Response 1.12 (1.00–1.26) 4
CHF Highest vs. Lowest 1.27 (1.14–1.41) 3 [118]
Dose-Response 1.12 (1.05–1.19) 2
T2D Highest vs. Lowest 1.39 (1.29–1.49) 11 [121]
Dose-Response 1.32 (1.19–1.48) / [115]
1.37 (1.22–1.54) 14 [122]
1.57 (1.28–1.93) 8 [130]
Overweight/Obesity Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
MetS Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Total cancer
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response 1.08 (1.06–1.11) 5 [113]
Total cancer
incidence
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
CRC Highest vs. Lowest 1.14 (1.06–1.21) 21 [124]
Dose-Response 1.17 (1.10–1.23) 16
/
[124]
[115]
1.18 (1.10–1.28) 10 [125]
Breast cancer Highest vs. Lowest 1.09 (1.03–1.16) 15 [126]
1.07 (1.01–1.14) 14 [127]
Dose-Response 1.09 (1.02–1.17) 12
Gastric cancer Highest vs. Lowest 1.15 (1.03–1.29) 8 [128]
1.24 (1.04–1.47) 10 [129]
Dose-Response 1.21 (1.04–1.41) 7
Total Meat
All-cause
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Total CVDs
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest / 6 [117]
Dose-Response / 6
CHD Highest vs. Lowest 1.23 (0.98–1.49) 7 [131]
Dose-Response No data
Stroke Highest vs. Lowest 1.18 (1.09–1.28) 4 [119]
Dose-Response No data
HBP Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
CHF Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
T2D Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response 1.12 (1.01–1.24) 8 [122]
Overweight/Obesity Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
MetS Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Total cancer
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Total cancer
incidence
Highest vs. Lowest / / [90]
Dose-Response No data
CRC Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Breast cancer Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Gastric cancer Highest vs. Lowest / 13 [128]
Dose-Response No data
Poultry
All-cause
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response / b / [115]
Total CVDs
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest / 6 [117]
Dose-Response / 5
CHD Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response / b / [115]
Stroke Highest vs. Lowest 0.87 (0.78–0.96) 2 [119]
Dose-Response No data
HBP Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
CHF Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
T2D Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response / b
/
/
3
[115]
[122]
Overweight/Obesity Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
MetS Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Total cancer
mortality
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
Total cancer
incidence
Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response No data
CRC Highest vs. Lowest No data
Dose-Response 0.78 (0.62–0.94) b / [115]
/ 6 [125]
Breast cancer Highest vs. Lowest / 11 [127]
Dose-Response / 10
Gastric cancer Highest vs. Lowest /
/
7
5
[128]
[129]
Dose-Response / 4 [129]

a: Data obtained on lowest consumption, taking the highest amount as a reference, and therefore in contrast to all the others (“lowest vs. highest”); b: data related to chicken consumption only and not to poultry.