Red Meat : Health risks

Recently, the WHO concluded that overconsumption of red meat is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease worldwide. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate, using probabilistic models, the number of people in France affected by these two diseases because of their consumption of red meat. The burden of disease, which combines years of life lost due to premature mortality, and years of life lost due to decreased quality of life due to disease, was also estimated in DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Years).
The results obtained from consumption of red meat in France and epidemiological data, were expressed by age group and by gender. Thus, it has been estimated that 5% of cases of colorectal cancer were associated with the consumption of red meat in France per year, corresponding to 12 170 DALYs. For cardiovascular diseases, the consumption of red meat reported by the INCA 2 study would contribute to 1% of mortality cases, which corresponds to a total of 12,960 DALYs. However, the estimate is highly uncertain and the conclusions must take into account this uncertainty. The scenario analysis showed that red meat consumption of less than 65 g per day would limit the risk of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease in the most affected subpopulations, especially adults older than 45 years old.
This study will then be integrated into a more comprehensive assessment of the risks and benefits associated with red meat, including microbiological risks and nutritional benefits, including the reduction of iron deficiency.
Partners: This study was performed by INRA SECALIM (Centre Pays de la Loire) and INRA ToxAlim (Centre Occitanie-Toulouse)
Funding: INRA Department MICA and Region Pays de La Loire
Publication: De Oliveira Mota, J., Boué, G., Guillou, S., Pierre, F., & Membré, J.-M. (2019). Estimation of the burden of disease attributable to red meat consumption in France: Influence on colorectal cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 130, 174-186.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2019.05.023