Whereas a number of studies have suggested that eating red meat may associate with greater risks of some cancers, coronary heart disease, and diabetes, as well as all-cause mortality and death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, data as to the relationship between red meat and the risk of stroke have been unclear. Joanna Kaluza, from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (Poland), and colleagues completed a meta-analysis of six prospective studies documenting red meat consumption — beef, pork, lamb, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and bacon — that involved a total of 329,495 participants and 10,630 cases of stroke. 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. The study authors warn that: “Results from this meta-analysis indicate that consumption of fresh red meat and processed red meat as well as total red meat is associated with increased risk of total stroke and ischemic stroke.”
