Red Meat, Overweight and Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies Publisher Pubmed



Daneshzad E¹ ; Askari M² ; Moradi M³ ; Ghorabi S⁴ ; Rouzitalab T⁵ ; Heshmati J⁶ ; Azadbakht L^{2, 7}
Source: Clinical Nutrition ESPEN Published:2021

Abstract

Aim: The present study aimed to review and perform a meta-analysis summarizing the available evidence on the association between red meat consumption and obesity. Methods: A computerized search strategy was performed up to Feb 9, 2020. PubMed, Scopus, and web of science were used to conduct a comprehensive search for all relevant publications. The quality of the included articles was determined by using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model was conducted for analysis of the included cross-sectional studies. In the case of significant heterogeneity, subgroup analyses were conducted to explore possible sources of inter-study heterogeneity. Results: In the overall pooled estimate of 3 studies, it was shown that red meat consumption was not associated with overweight (pooled effect size: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.97–1.46, p = 0.099). The results from combining 7 studies showed a non-significant association between red meat intake and obesity (pooled effect size: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.93–1.44, p = 0.199) with significant heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 87.3%, p heterogeneity < 0.0001). Conclusion: In conclusion, results extend the evidence that red meat consumption was not associated with the risk of overweight as well as no association between total meat consumption and obesity. © 2021 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism