(28-08-12) Meat Intake and Mortality

A Prospective Study of Over Half a Million People
Rashmi Sinha, PhD; Amanda J. Cross, PhD; Barry I. Graubard, PhD;
Michael F. Leitzmann, MD, DrPH; Arthur Schatzkin, MD, DrPH
Background: High intakes of red or processed meat may
increase the risk of mortality. Our objective was to determine
the relations of red, white, and processed meat
intakes to risk for total and cause-specific mortality.
Methods: The study population included the National
Institutes of Health?AARP (formerly known as the American
Association of Retired Persons) Diet and Health Study
cohort of half a million people aged 50 to 71 years at baseline.
Meat intake was estimated from a food frequency
questionnaire administered at baseline. Cox proportional
hazards regression models estimated hazard ratios
(HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) within
quintiles of meat intake. The covariates included in the
models were age, education, marital status, family history
of cancer (yes/no) (cancer mortality only), race, body
mass index, 31-level smoking history, physical activity,
energy intake, alcohol intake, vitamin supplement use,
fruit consumption, vegetable consumption, and menopausal
hormone therapy among women. Main outcome
measures included total mortality and deaths due to cancer,
cardiovascular disease, injuries and sudden deaths,
and all other causes.
Results: There were 47 976 male deaths and 23 276 female
deaths during 10 years of follow-up. Men and women
in the highest vs lowest quintile of red (HR, 1.31 [95%
CI, 1.27-1.35], and HR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.30-1.43], respectively)
and processed meat (HR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.12-
1.20], and HR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.20-1.31], respectively)
intakes had elevated risks for overall mortality. Regarding
cause-specific mortality, men and women had elevated
risks for cancer mortality for red (HR, 1.22 [95%
CI, 1.16-1.29], and HR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.12-1.30], respectively)
and processed meat (HR, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.06-
1.19], and HR, 1.11 [95% CI 1.04-1.19], respectively) intakes.
Furthermore, cardiovascular disease risk was
elevated for men and women in the highest quintile of
red (HR, 1.27 [95% CI, 1.20-1.35], and HR, 1.50 [95%
CI, 1.37-1.65], respectively) and processed meat (HR, 1.09
[95% CI, 1.03-1.15], and HR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.26-1.51],
respectively) intakes. When comparing the highest with
the lowest quintile of white meat intake, there was an inverse
association for total mortality and cancer mortality,
as well as all other deaths for both men and women.
Conclusion: Red and processed meat intakes were associated
with modest increases in total mortality, cancer
mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Source: Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):562-571

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