Too Much Meat Linked with a Greater Risk of Early Death

The study also found that a high total protein diet was associated with a higher risk of mortality in people with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer at the start of the study. No similar relationship was found in those who did not have these diseases. The results therefore warrant a study of the health effects of protein intake, especially in those who already have chronic disease. In this study, the mean age of men at the start of the study was 53 years, and clearly low protein intake was rare. Doctoral researcher Heli Virtanen points out that results should not be generalized to elderly people who are at increased risk of malnutrition and protein intake is often lower than recommended.

Previous studies have suggested that abundant consumption of animal protein and especially processed meat, such as sausage and slices, is associated with an increased risk of mortality. However, the overall picture of the health effects of consumption of protein and various protein sources has been unclear.

The study published today included a coronary artery disease risk study (SVVT), in which about 2600 42-60-year-old eastern Finnish males were diagnosed at the start of the study in 1984-1989. The mortality rate of the subjects was monitored on average over 20 years from Statistics Finland’s registers. The analyzes looked at the relationship between diet proteins and protein sources to mortality during follow-up. Analyzes took full account of other lifestyle and nutritional habits of the subjects – for example, the fact that the diet of high-protein-eating people was healthier than average.

Citation: Dietary proteins and protein sources and risk of death: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.
Heli E K Virtanen, Sari Voutilainen, Timo T Koskinen, Jaakko Mursu, Petra Kokko, Maija P T Ylilauri, Tomi-Pekka Tuomainen, Jukka T Salonen, Jyrki K Virtanen. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz025