Dietary Patterns in High and Low Consumers of Meat in a Swedish Cohort Study

Abstract

The objective was to examine relationships between meat and other food items which have been associated with higher risk of cancer in the colon and prostate in some epidemiological studies. The study was conducted as a population-based cohort study comprising 11648 subjects (4816 male and 6742 female) born between 1926 and 1945 and living in the city of Malmö , Sweden. Data on mean daily intake of foods and nutrients were assessed with a diet history method combining a 7-day menu book and a food frequency questionnaire. Increasing meat intake, expressed in quintiles and adjusted for energy, was associated with decreasing intakes of poultry, fish, fruits, bread, cereals and cheese in both sexes. Low negative correlations between meat intake and ascorbic acid (r = −0·11) and fiber (r = −0·16 to −0·20) were noted. The average intake of fat from meat out of total fat intake was 13·6% in men and 11·9% in women. No major associations were noted between meat and the cholesterol raising fatty acids C:12:0, C:14:0, C:160 nor for C:20:4 or its precursor C:18:2.In conclusion, our findings indicate that meat consumption is negatively associated with food groups rich in antioxidants and fiber and the positive covariance reported between meat and cancer and coronary heart disease might, therefore, not be directly linked to components in meat.

The Effect of Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption on Overall Diet: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Our data also suggest that subjects may have been substituting the higher fat foods in their diet for the additional FV, with apparent decreases being observed in total, saturated and monounsaturated fat intakes, expressed as % food energy. Previous literature has suggested that individuals with higher FV consumption have reduced intakes of meat (Elmstahl et al, 1999;Smith-Warner et al, 2000), although our data showed no significant changes in protein intake when FV were increased, and protein was therefore not included in the meta-analysis. We were unable to examine specific differences in food habits in order to …”

Meat consumption after disaggregation of meat dishes in a cohort of British adults in 1989 and 1999 in relation to diet quality

“…High consumers of meat (undefined) in Sweden were reported to have lower intakes of fibre and anti-oxidant nutrients (Elmstahl et al, 1999). In the Irish study referred to above high consumers of red and processed meat had higher intakes of energy and fat and a less fibre dense diet (Cosgrove et al, 2005b).…”

Colorectal Cancer and the Relationship Between Genes and the Environment

“…In a cohort study of 11,648 subjects in Sweden, Elmstahl et al (77) found that meat consumption was negatively associated with foods rich in antioxidants and fiber and they suggested that CRC risk was not directly associated with meat intake. Furthermore, definitions of red meat differ between countries, and processed meat is, in general, poorly defined.…”