A recent systemic review of clinical trials published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a serious discrepancy between the results of meat-industry related studies and independent studies on the link between unprocessed red meat consumption and cardiovascular disease risk. 

Scientific evidence has shown that the consumption of processed meat is linked to an increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases. However, the connection between unprocessed red meat and cardiovascular disease is less clear due to various studies coming to different conclusions. As a result, several studies have questioned whether it is advisable to limit unprocessed red meat consumption. 

The authors of the systemic review noted that, much like how tobacco industry funding led to biased research conclusions that adversely affected public health, there appears to be a strong correlation between research funded by the food industry and scientific results that align with the interests of the sponsors.

The authors broke down the various studies into two categories: “red meat-industry related” if any of the authors declared affiliation or financial disclosure indicating a link to the red meat industry, and “independent” if not. 

They found that most independent studies indicate unprocessed red meat consumption has an unfavourable effect on cardiovascular disease risk, while favourable effects were only found in red meat-industry related studies. This finding indicates that industry related studies are less trustworthy than those funded independently, and supports the recommendation to replace unprocessed red meat with plant-based proteins to enhance cardiovascular health.

Reduced cardiovascular disease risk is only one of the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Visit our Better Health page to learn more.