The study was observational, meaning it does not prove cause and effect. But, Raisi-Estabragh added, it does suggest that cutting back on red and processed meats may do your heart good.
“Of course, this has to be interpreted in the context of other evidence and other studies that have considered all the different aspects of diet, which may also influence how meat impacts health,” she said. “So, for example, red meat consumed in the context of a Mediterranean diet may be OK. There are a lot of other variables at play that need to be considered.”
The findings were presented Thursday at an online meeting of the European Society of Cardiology. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Singh sees potential for translating this research into prevention, possibly using cardiac MRI to identify changes in the heart earlier than they would show up through other imaging.
“Perhaps cardiac MRI can show us changes even well before what an echocardiogram would show us. And if we can actually link that to dietary consumption, perhaps we may even be able to impact the disease process, and by tackling it way earlier than we are currently,” she said.