Red Meat and High Blood Pressure

Twenty-five years ago something called the “iron-heart” was proposed to explain the differences in rates of coronary heart disease between men and premenopausal women on the basis of differences in their iron stores. Premenopausal women were thought to lose important amounts of iron storage through menstruation. Subsequent work hasn’t been able to prove this theory, partly because too little attention has been paid to the sort of iron being talked about. Iron in the body can be tied chemically to a large molecule called a porphyrin – this type of iron is termed haem iron, and can be acquired by eating animal tissue, i.e. meat. All other sources of iron are called non-haem iron; they come to the body via dietary supplements or fortified foods.

An international study reported in the British Medical Journal investigated possible links between blood pressure and dietary iron intake (total, haem, and non-haem), a food source of haem iron (red meat), and food with supplemental iron. Data came from 17 population samples from Japan, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. There were 4680 adults aged 40 to 59 who had an average of 8 blood pressure readings and estimations of total iron, haem iron, and non-haem iron.

Dietary total iron intake higher by 4.20 mg was associated with lower systolic blood pressure by an average of 1.39 mmHg. And dietary non-haem iron intake higher by 4.13 mg was associated with lower systolic blood pressure by 1.45 mmHg. On the other hand, haem iron intake from food was linked to higher blood pressure. Thus an increase of red meat intake of 102.6 grams over 24 hours was associated with a 1.25 mmHg increase in systolic pressure. The association between red meat intake and increased blood pressure persisted even after adjustments were made for numerous possibly disrupting factors.

Looks as if this is another reason to cut back on the red meat . . .

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