New large analysis finds eating red meat and processed meat increases the risk of heart disease

A new study from researchers at the University of Oxford has found that eating red meat and processed meat increases the risk of heart disease. The study, the largest ever study of its kind analysed data from 13 cohort studies that tracked the health of more than 1.4 million people for up to 30 years in Europe and the U.S.

The analysis found that eating just 50g of processed meat a day increases the risk of heart disease by 18% and unprocessed red meat by 9%. Currently in the UK around 10 in 100 people die from Coronary heart disease.

NOTE: The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) as part of it’s continuous update project, an ongoing program that analyses global research on how diet, nutrition and physical activity affects cancer risk and survival has linked unprocessed red meat and processed meat with many different cancers. The findings include the following:

Strong evidence that both unprocessed red and processed meat increases the risk of Colorectal cancer. Some evidence that unprocessed red meat and processed meat might increase the risk of Lung cancer, Pancreatic cancer and Nasopharyngeal cancer. Some evidence that processed meat might increase the risk of stomach cancer and a limited suggestion that meat might also be a risk for Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.