Global Study Links Processed Meat and Cardiovascular Disease

(Newswire.net — December 9, 2022) Orlando, FL — Cardiovascular diseases are quite prevalent today, and they are even a driving factor in the increased death rates. 

A global study, which was carried out by Hamilton scientists, has shown an association between processed meat intake and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. It also revealed the link is inexistent in the intake of unprocessed red meat or poultry.

It is worth keeping in mind that the information was obtained from the diets and health outcomes of 134,297 people from 21 countries spanning five continents. They were tracked for data on meat consumption and cardiovascular illnesses.

For nearly a decade, the participants were monitored in this research. It has been found that an intake of 150 grams or more of processed meat a week was linked with a 46 percent higher susceptibility to cardiovascular disease.

Further, there was a 51 percent higher risk of death than those who ate no processed meat. However, the investigators reveal moderate levels of non-processed meats produced a neutral effect on health.

“Evidence of an association between meat intake and cardiovascular disease is inconsistent. We, therefore, wanted to better understand the associations between intakes of unprocessed red meat, poultry, and processed meat with major cardiovascular disease events and mortality,” said Romaina Iqbal.

Iqbal is the first author of the study and an associate professor at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.

This Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study was launched in 2003. It was the first multinational study that offers information on the link between unprocessed and processed meat consumption with health outcomes from low, middle, and high-income countries.

“The totality of the available data indicates that consuming a modest amount of unprocessed meat as part of a healthy dietary pattern is unlikely to be harmful,” said Mahshid Dehghan.

Dehghan is an investigator for the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.

Scientists continue to increasingly study the impacts of processed food on overall health, especially on the heart. There have also been studies showing that disease protection can be made more efficiently with the body being equipped with adequate amounts of the right nutrients.

B vitamins are included in the list as these nutrients have long been known to work wonders in protecting the body from diseases. Some studies suggest that deficiencies in these nutrients may even result in undesirable health outcomes. 

Today, consumers are increasingly turning to the use of formulas like Divine Bounty B Vitamin Complex. It contains Choline, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, and vitamin B6. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07414752B).