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 Researchers examined more than two decades of data on more than
46,000 men and found frequent red meat eaters were 58 percent more
likely to be diagnosed with diverticulitis, a common bowel condition
that occurs when small pockets or bulges lining the intestines
become inflamed.
“Previous studies have shown that a high fiber diet is associated
with a lower risk of diverticulitis, however, the role of other
dietary factors in influencing risk of diverticulitis was not well
studied,” said senior study author Andrew Chan, a researcher at
Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
“Our result show that diets high in red meat may be associated with
a higher risk of diverticulitis,” Chan added by email.
Diverticulitis is common, resulting in more than 200,000
hospitalizations a year in the U.S. at a cost of more than $2
billion, Chan and colleagues note in the journal Gut.
New cases are on the rise, and the exact causes are unknown,
although the condition has been linked to smoking, obesity and the
use of certain nonprescription painkillers known as non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
While diverticulitis can often be treated with a liquid or low-fiber
diet, severe cases may require hospitalization and surgery to fix
complications like perforations in the gut wall.
Researchers examined data collected on men who were aged 40 to 75
when they joined the study between 1986 and 2012. Every four years
men were asked how often, on average, they ate red meat, poultry and
fish over the preceding year.
They were given nine options, ranging from ‘never’ or ‘less than
once a month,’ to ‘six or more times a day.’
During the study period, 764 men developed diverticulitis.
Men who ate the most red meat were also more likely to smoke, more
likely to regularly take NSAIDs, and less likely to eat foods with
fiber or get intense exercise.
By contrast, men who ate more chicken and fish were less likely to
smoke or take NSAIDs and more likely to get vigorous exercise.
After accounting for these other factors that can influence the risk
of diverticulitis, red meat was still associated with higher odds of
developing the bowel disorder.
Each daily serving of red meat was associated with an 18 percent
increased risk, the study found.
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Unprocessed meats like beef, pork and lamb were associated with a
greater risk than processed meats like bacon or sausage.
It’s possible the higher cooking temperatures typically used to
prepare unprocessed meats may influence the composition of bacteria
in the gut or inflammatory activity, though the exact reason for the
increased risk tied to these foods is unknown, the researchers note.
Swapping one daily serving of red meat for chicken or fish was
associated with a 20 percent reduction in the risk of this bowel
disorder, the study also found.
The study is observational, and doesn’t prove red meat causes
diverticulitis.
Other limitations of the study include its reliance on men to
accurately recall and report how much meat they ate and the
possibility that the results may not apply to women, the authors
point out.
Even so, the findings should offer yet another reason to consider
cutting back on red meat, said Samantha Heller, a nutritionist at
New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City who
wasn’t involved in the study.
Diets high in red and processed meats have been linked with
increased risks of inflammatory bowel diseases, so the link found in
this study “is not surprising,” Heller said by email.
“Focusing on a more plant based, higher fiber diet that includes
legumes, whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits, replete with
appropriate fluid intake, may go a long way in helping reduce of
inflammatory bowel diseases, diverticulitis, and other chronic
diseases,” Heller added.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2jfI1EM Gut, online January 9, 2017.
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