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Consumption of red meat and processed meat and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

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Abstract

Red meat and processed meat consumption has been hypothesized to increase risk of cancer, but the evidence is inconsistent. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to summarize the evidence of associations between consumption of red meat (unprocessed), processed meat, and total red and processed meat with the incidence of various cancer types. We searched in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases through December 2020. Using a random-effect meta-analysis, we calculated the pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the highest versus the lowest category of red meat, processed meat, and total red and processed meat consumption in relation to incidence of various cancers. We identified 148 published articles. Red meat consumption was significantly associated with greater risk of breast cancer (RR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.03–1.15), endometrial cancer (RR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.01-1.56), colorectal cancer (RR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.03–1.17), colon cancer (RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.09-1.25), rectal cancer (RR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.01-1.46), lung cancer (RR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.09–1.44), and hepatocellular carcinoma (RR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.01-1.46). Processed meat consumption was significantly associated with a 6% greater breast cancer risk, an 18% greater colorectal cancer risk, a 21% greater colon cancer risk, a 22% greater rectal cancer risk, and a 12% greater lung cancer risk. Total red and processed meat consumption was significantly associated with greater risk of colorectal cancer (RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.08–1.26), colon cancer (RR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.09–1.34), rectal cancer (RR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.09–1.45), lung cancer (RR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.09-1.33), and renal cell cancer (RR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.04–1.37). This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis study showed that high red meat intake was positively associated with risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, lung cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma, and high processed meat intake was positively associated with risk of breast, colorectal, colon, rectal, and lung cancers. Higher risk of colorectal, colon, rectal, lung, and renal cell cancers were also observed with high total red and processed meat consumption.

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Acknowledgment

We thank Drs. Demetrius Albanes, Hannah Arem, Eunyoung Cho, Yashvee Dunneram, Brian Z. Huang, Petra Jones, Rena R. Jones, Christiana Kartsonaki, Ai Seon Kuan, Tricia Li, Hung N. Luu, Kirstin Pirie, Antonio Giampiero Russo, Veronica Wendy Setiawan, Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, Siân Sweetland, Mary K. Townsend, Shelley S. Tworoger, Margaret E. Wright, Xin Xu, and Xuehong Zhang, for kindly providing additional data for this meta-analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Maryam S. Farvid

  2. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Elkhansa Sidahmed & Junaidah B. Barnett

  3. Department of Sociology and Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Nicholas D. Spence

  4. Montgomery College, Takoma Park, MD, USA

    Kingsly Mante Angua

  5. Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Bernard A. Rosner

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  1. Maryam S. Farvid
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  2. Elkhansa Sidahmed
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  3. Nicholas D. Spence
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  5. Bernard A. Rosner
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  6. Junaidah B. Barnett
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Contributions

Maryam S. Farvid: Study concept and design, data extraction and statistical analysis, interpretation of data, drafting of manuscript, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission. Elkhansa Sidahmed: Helped with data extraction, interpretation of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission. Nicholas D. Spence: Helped with interpretation of data, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission. Kingsly Mante Angua: Helped with data extraction, and approval of the final manuscript for submission. Bernard A. Rosner: Helped with the interpretation of data and approval of the final manuscript for submission. Junaidah B. Barnett: Helped with the interpretation of data and writing the discussion section, critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approval of the final manuscript for submission.

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Correspondence to Maryam S. Farvid.

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Farvid, M.S., Sidahmed, E., Spence, N.D. et al. Consumption of red meat and processed meat and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur J Epidemiol 36, 937–951 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-021-00741-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-021-00741-9

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