Red Meat Eaters May Face Increased Stroke Risk
Pauline Anderson
December 29, 2010 — Women who consume at least 102 g red meat a day have a 42% higher risk for cerebral infarction than those who eat 25 g or less red meat daily, new research shows.
The findings “suggest that consumption of red and processed meats may increase risk of cerebral infarction,” the authors, led by Susanna C. Larsson, PhD, from the National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden, conclude.
“These findings merit confirmation in additional large, prospective studies and in experimental studies on possible biological mechanisms,” they add.
The study was published online December 16 in Stroke.
The prospective, population-based study included 34,670 Swedish women aged 49 to 83 years who were part of the Swedish Mammography Cohort study and completed a diet and lifestyle questionnaire in 1997.
In addition to providing information on education, weight, height, smoking, physical activity, aspirin use, medical history, family history of myocardial infarction, and alcohol consumption, study subjects also reported how often they consumed various food items, including meat.
For the study, researchers grouped meats into red meat, fresh meat, and processed meat such as sausages, hot dog, salami, ham, and liver pate. Red meat was the sum of fresh and processed meat.
During a mean follow-up of 10.4 years, there were 1680 incident strokes: 1310 cerebral infarctions, 154 intracerebral hemorrhages, 79 subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 137 unspecified strokes.
Compared with women in the lowest quintile of red meat consumption, the multivariable relative risk (RR) for cerebral infarction for women in the highest quintile was 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 – 1.46; P = .04). The association between red meat and cerebral infarction was stronger when the first 3 years of follow-up were excluded (RR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.10 – 1.66; P= .005).
Among those who had never smoked and who did not have diabetes, there was a 68% increased risk for cerebral infarction among the biggest meat eaters compared with those who ate the least.
The researchers found no significant association between fresh meat consumption and the risk for intracerebral hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Poultry was not associated with risk for any stroke subtype or total stroke.
Possible Mechanisms
The authors cited several possible mechanisms for the association between meat consumption and cerebral infarction. At least 1 previous study has shown that the risk for hypertension, which is implicated in stroke, is higher among meat eaters.
Red meat contains saturated fat and cholesterol, which have also been linked to poor cardiovascular health. Red meat is also rich in hemo iron — a nutrient known to catalyze the formation of hydroxyl radicals that are powerful prooxidants.
Commenting on this research, Thomas W. Wolever, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, agreed that the high hemo iron content of red meat could be a factor in the association between this type of meat and some types of stroke.
“High hemoglobin, high iron, is associated with cardiovascular disease, but it’s unclear whether that’s because the blood becomes more viscous when there are more red cells or whether it’s because the iron itself is a kind of prooxidant, which causes oxidative stress, and that would promote atherosclerosis.”
Another possible factor is sodium. The association between meat and cerebral infarction in this study was stronger for processed meat than for fresh meat. Processed meats are high in sodium, which could at least partly account for the study’s findings, said the authors.
Dr. Wolever agreed that a dietary pattern that is high in sodium and low in potassium, calcium, and magnesium may play a role in raising stroke risk. Such a pattern, he pointed out, is the opposite of the hypertension-lowering DASH diet, which is low in sodium but high in these other nutrients.
Findings Not Surprising
The study findings are not that surprising, said Dr. Wolever, given the fact that stroke and coronary heart disease share so many of the same risk factors, including metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, as well as hypertension. All these factors are associated with red meat intake, he said.
Dr. Wolever noted the small number of hemorrhagic strokes in the study and wondered whether this would limit its statistical strength. “There were so few bleeds, that probably the study had no power to pick it up.”
In addition, he said, if meat and protein are associated with excess blood clotting, “then maybe you don’t get bleeds because the blood doesn’t clot.”
Dr. Wolever also commented that the highest level of meat consumption in the study (102 g/day) is not all that high. He pointed out that women generally eat less meat than men.
In addition, although many aspects of our North American diet have been linked to increased risks for cardiovascular disease and cancer, this diet has also been associated with longevity and good health, he said.
“Some people would say that the fact we can live long enough to get strokes is a testament to how good our diet is.”
He cautioned that the associations uncovered by the study do not prove causality, “although, being a vegetarian, it would be tempting to think they did.”
The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Stroke. Published online December 16, 2010.
