title: Association between red and processed meat consumption and chronic diseases: the confounding role of other dietary factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High consumption of meat has been linked with the risk for obesity and chronic diseases. This could partly be explained by the association between meat and lower-quality diet. We studied whether high intake of red and processed meat was associated with lower-quality dietary habits, assessed against selected nutrients, other food groups and total diet. Moreover, we studied whether meat consumption was associated with obesity, after adjustment for all identified associations between meat and food consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  The nationally representative cross-sectional study population consisted of 2190 Finnish men and 2530 women, aged 25-74 years. Food consumption over the previous 12 months was assessed using a validated 131-item Food Frequency Questionnaire. Associations between nutrients, foods, a modified Baltic Sea Diet Score and meat consumption (quintile classification) were analysed using linear regression. The models were adjusted for age and energy intake and additionally for education, physical activity and smoking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High consumption of red and processed meat was inversely associated with fruits, whole grain and nuts, and positively with potatoes, oil and coffee in both sexes. Results separately for the two types of meat were essentially similar. In a linear regression analysis, high consumption of meat was positively associated with body mass index in both men and women, even when using a model adjusted for all foods with a significant association with meat consumption in both sexes identified in this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between meat consumption and a lower-quality diet may complicate studies on meat and health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fogelholm
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanerva
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Männistö
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004034:Diet Surveys / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008461:Meat Products / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology; D000069466:Red Meat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors