High meat intake a risk factor for coronary heart disease in Asians

Consuming high amounts of meat products appears to contribute to an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) in Korean men, according to a study.

The study drew data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) Health Examinees (HEXA) study and included 13,293 Korean male adults. Researchers used Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate the association between meat intake and ≥20 percent 10-year CHD risk.

Results showed that the 10-year CHD risk was 53-percent higher among participants with the highest total meat intake than among those with the lowest intake (model 4: hazard ratio [HR], 1.53, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.05–2.21).

In addition, the highest vs lowest intake category of red meat was associated a 55-percent increased risk of 10-year CHD (model 3: HR, 1.55, 95 percent CI, 1.16–2.06).

There was no association found between consumption of poultry or processed meat and 10-year CHD risk.

The present data provide evidence of the association between meat intake and the risk of CHD, given that most studies take place in Western countries, where the types and amount of meat products consumed differ from those in Asian countries.

Additional studies are needed to establish criteria or thresholds for the appropriate meat intake by meat type to reduce CHD risk.