Red meat, overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

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 (I-2 = 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. (C) 2021 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.