American Heart Association says Red meat consumption associated with increased risk of Stroke

Dallas, TX – Consumption of red meat is associated with an increased risk of total stroke, as reported online in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers Joanna Kaluza, PhD, of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland, and colleagues performed a meta-analysis to summarize the evidence regarding the effects of red meat (fresh, processed, and total) consumption on stroke risk.

Five articles, including results from six prospective studies with 10,630 cases of stroke and 329,495 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. All of the studies were statistically adjusted for age, body mass index, and alcohol consumption, and most further accounted for smoking, physical activity, diabetes, hypertension, energy intake, and fruit and vegetable consumption.

Their analysis showed each one-serving-per-day increase in fresh, processed, and total red meat intake was associated with an 11% to 13% relative increase in the risk of all strokes, driven by an increase in the risk of ischemic stroke.

There was, however, no statistically-significant association between red meat consumption and hemorrhagic stroke risk.