Eating Red Meat Associated With Heart Disease
LONDON ( Dispatches) -- An observational study in nearly 20,000 individuals has found that greater intake of red and processed meat is associated with worse heart function.
"Previous studies have shown links between greater red meat consumption and increased risk of heart attacks or dying from heart disease,” said study author Dr. Zahra Raisi-Estabragh of Queen Mary University of London, UK. "For the first time, we examined the relationships between meat consumption and imaging measures of heart health. This may help us to understand the mechanisms underlying the previously observed connections with cardiovascular disease.”
The research is presented at European Society of Cardiology ( ESC) Preventive Cardiology 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology .
The researchers found that greater intake of red and processed meat was associated with worse imaging measures of heart health, across all measures studied. Specifically, individuals with higher meat intake had smaller ventricles, poorer heart function, and stiffer arteries -- all markers of worse cardiovascular health.
"Previous studies have shown links between greater red meat consumption and increased risk of heart attacks or dying from heart disease,” said study author Dr. Zahra Raisi-Estabragh of Queen Mary University of London, UK. "For the first time, we examined the relationships between meat consumption and imaging measures of heart health. This may help us to understand the mechanisms underlying the previously observed connections with cardiovascular disease.”
The research is presented at European Society of Cardiology ( ESC) Preventive Cardiology 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology .
The researchers found that greater intake of red and processed meat was associated with worse imaging measures of heart health, across all measures studied. Specifically, individuals with higher meat intake had smaller ventricles, poorer heart function, and stiffer arteries -- all markers of worse cardiovascular health.