In a recent study published in The Lancet Planetary Health , researchers developed a microsimulation model, micro-Simulation of the Health Impacts of Food Transformations (mSHIFT), to evaluate the impact of reducing processed and unprocessed meat intake on cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus type 2 , colorectal cancers, and death rates in the United States (US). Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the top two causes of mortality in the United States. Processed and unprocessed meat consumption is related to an elevated risk of chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.
However, the link between unprocessed meat and certain disorders is unclear. Randomized controlled trials have not revealed such relationships, particularly in healthy dietary patterns involving modest consumption of unprocessed meat. There is yet insufficient evidence to make conclusive recommendations.
In the present microsimulation study, researchers investigated whether reducing processed and unprocessed meat intake could reduce the incidence rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancers, and deaths among US adults. The researchers created the mSHIFT model to predict the effects of restricting processed and unprocessed meat intake on cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, colorectal cancers, and mortality rates. They obtained data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) conducted from 2015 to 2016 and 20.
