Mixed
Higher intake of red or processed meat is associated with increased all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer-related mortality, but this association is largely explained by confounding factors such as smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption rather than the protein itself.
While high intake of red and processed meats is linked to higher mortality, this risk appears to be driven largely by associated lifestyle factors like smoking, obesity, and alcohol use rather than the protein itself. Focus on maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, and limiting alcohol, as these factors likely explain the observed risks more than the meat consumption alone.
Adjusting further for smoking history, adiposity indices, alcohol consumption, and physical activity levels, the statistical significance of all these observed was erased, except for the association of processed meat intake with cardiovascular mortality... and cheese intake with cancer mortality... which, however, were substantially attenuated. These findings suggest heavy confounding and provide little support for the hypothesis that animal protein, as a nutrient, is a major determinant of mortality risk.
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort study (EPIC-Heidelberg, n=22,748) with long follow-up and rigorous adjustment for multiple confounders.
Source
Food Sources of Animal Protein in Relation to Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality—Causal Associations or Confounding? An Analysis of the EPIC-Heidelberg Cohort
Rashmita Bajracharya et al. · Nutrients · 2023
DOI 10.3390/nu15153322
Related findings · Mixed
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