Cardiometabolic & kidneyResearch article
The relationship between processed meat, red meat, and risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes: a Mendelian randomization study
- Mendelian randomisation study
- two-sample
Inverse-variance weighted, weighted median and MR-Egger methods
Authors' conclusion
The study discerned no observable impact of red and processed meat consumption on CAD, hypertension, stroke, and T2DM.
Study context
- Comparison
- Genetically predicted processed and red meat intake vs risk of CVD and T2DM
- Outcome
- CAD, hypertension, stroke and T2DM
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
CAD, hypertension, stroke, T2DM (inverse-variance weighted)
No causal association between processed and red meat intake and coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, stroke or T2DM
P > 0.05
Further findings
Heterogeneity (Cochrane's Q)
- Processed meat: heterogeneity in hypertension and stroke
- P < 0.05
- Pork: heterogeneity in hypertension, stroke and T2DM
- P < 0.05
- Lamb: heterogeneity in hypertension and T2DM
- P < 0.05
- Other exposures and outcomes: no heterogeneity
- P > 0.05
Pleiotropy (MR-Egger)
- No significant pleiotropy for all exposures
- P > 0.05
Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis
- Results robust
Original publication
The relationship between processed meat, red meat, and risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes: a Mendelian randomization study. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 25 March 2024. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwae117
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it