Red Meat Consumption and Risk of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Disease in Chinese Older Adults.

Associations between red meat consumption and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs) are mostly studied in Western populations but not in Chinese or elderly. This prospective study investigated adults ≥65 years from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). Associations between red meat consumption and CCVD, ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), CCVD mortality, and all-cause mortality were determined by Cox regression. A total of 59,980 participants were analyzed, 14,715 (24.53%) of whom ate red meat daily, 9,843 (16.41%) ate red meat 4-6 days/week, 23,472 (39.13%) ate red meat 1-3 days/week, and 11,950 (19.92%) ate red meat less than 1 day/week. Average amount of red meat usual consumption was 38 g/day. After adjustment, per 50 g/day higher red meat consumption at baseline was significantly associated with increased incident CCVD (aHR = 1.10) among high-income subjects (≥ 10,000 RMB) and urban residents (aHR = 1.12). Per 50 g/day higher baseline red meat consumption was significantly associated with increased ischemic stroke/TIA in urban residents (aHR = 1.08) but decreased risk in rural residents (aHR = 0.84). Higher baseline red meat consumption was associated with lower CCVD mortality in the poorest (aHR = 0.78) and rural residents (aHR = 0.72) and lower all-cause mortality in the poorest (aHR = 0.82) and rural residents (aHR = 0.80). In general, among older adults in China, higher red meat intake independently predicted increased CCVD among urban and high-income individuals but not poor ones. Higher red meat intake appears to be protective against mortality in rural and low-income subjects. Socioeconomic status is a crucial modifying factor on the association between red meat consumption and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in China.