There is evidence that high consumption of red meat may be linked to an increased risk of inflammation. According to several research, diets heavy in red meat, particularly processed red meat, are associated with heightened levels of inflammatory markers in the body. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are examples of inflammatory indicators.
Inflammation is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the role of nutrition in inflammation is gaining scientific attention. Recommendations to reduce red meat consumption, for example, are frequently based, in part, on old studies showing that red meat negatively affects inflammation – despite the fact that more recent studies have not supported this.
“The role of diet, including red meat, on inflammation and disease risk has not been adequately studied, which can lead to public health recommendations that are not based on strong evidence,” explained Dr. Alexis Wood, associate professor of pediatrics — nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. “Our team sought to take a closer look by using metabolite data in the blood, which can provide a more direct link between diet and health.”
Our analysis adds to the growing body of evidence that indicates the importance of measuring plasma markers, such as metabolites, to track diet and disease risk associations, versus relying on self-reported dietary intake alone. Our analysis does not support previous observational research associations linking red meat intake and inflammation.
Dr. Alexis Wood
Wood and her colleagues evaluated cross-sectional data from around 4,000 older persons who took part in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), and their findings were just published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Cross-sectional data is a useful source of evidence on how nutrition impacts health since it involves data collected from free-living people without seeking to modify their normal lifestyle.
As a result, it may be easier to adapt the findings of such investigations in non-research situations. In addition to self-reported food intake and many indicators, researchers evaluated a variety of dietary intake metabolites in blood. Plasma metabolites can aid in the detection of the effects of dietary intake as it is metabolized, digested, and absorbed.
When adjusted for body mass index (BMI), researchers discovered that intake of unprocessed and processed red meat (beef, hog, or lamb) was not directly associated with any markers of inflammation, implying that body weight, rather than red meat, maybe the source of increased systemic inflammation. The lack of a connection between red meat consumption and C-reactive protein (CRP), the key inflammatory risk factor of chronic disease, was of special concern.
“Our analysis adds to the growing body of evidence that indicates the importance of measuring plasma markers, such as metabolites, to track diet and disease risk associations, versus relying on self-reported dietary intake alone,” Wood said in a press release. “Our analysis does not support previous observational research associations linking red meat intake and inflammation.”
Because observational studies cannot determine cause and effect, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which individuals are randomly assigned to consume or not consume a dietary factor of interest are required as an additional line of evidence to adequately understand if red meat does not alter inflammation. Several randomized controlled trials have shown that lean unprocessed beef can be consumed as part of a heart-healthy diet.
“We have reached a stage where more studies are needed before we can make recommendations to limit red meat consumption for reducing inflammation if we want to base dietary recommendations on the most up-to-date evidence,” Wood stated in a press release. “Red meat is popular, easy to find, and delicious – and its place in our diet has deep cultural roots.” Given this, recommendations to reduce consumption should be backed up by robust scientific data, which currently does not exist.”
