Plasma metabolite profiles of meat intake and their association with cardiovascular disease risk: A population-based study in Swedish cohorts
Journal article, 2025
Background: Higher meat intake has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigated plasma metabolites associated with meat intake and their relation with cardiometabolic biomarkers, subclinical CVD markers, and incident CVD. Methods: Associations between self-reported meat intake and 1272 plasma metabolites were investigated in the SCAPIS cohort (n = 8,819; ages 50–64). Meat-associated metabolites were further examined for relation with subclinical CVD markers in the POEM cohort (n = 502; age 50) and incident CVD in the EpiHealth cohort (n = 2,278; ages 45–75; 107 incident cases over 9.6 years follow-up). Meat intake was categorized into white, unprocessed red, and processed red meat. Linear regression analyzed associations between meat intake, metabolites and cardiometabolic biomarkers, and subclinical CVD markers, while Cox models evaluated association between meat-associated metabolites and incident CVD. Results: After correction for multiple testing, 458, 368, and 403 metabolites were associated with white, unprocessed red, and processed red meat, respectively. Processed red meat-associated metabolites were associated with higher levels of fasting insulin, hemoglobin A1c, and lipoprotein(a), and were inversely associated with maximal oxygen consumption. Two metabolites, 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-GPE (16:0/18:2) (hazard ratios (HR: 1.32; 95 % CI: 1.08, 1.62)) and glutamine degradant (HR: 1.35; 95 % CI: 1.07, 1.72), that were inversely associated with intake of all meat types, were also associated with a higher risk of incident CVD. Conclusions: This study provides comprehensive analysis of self-reported meat intake and plasma metabolites. The findings may enhance our understanding of the relationship between meat intake and CVD, and provide insights into underlying mechanisms.
Cardiovascular Disease
Meat intake
Population-based epidemiological study
Plasma metabolomics
Author
Getachew Arage
Uppsala University
Koen F. Dekkers
Uppsala University
Luka Marko Rašo
Uppsala University
Ulf Hammar
Uppsala University
Ulrika Ericson
Lund University
Susanna C. Larsson
Uppsala University
Karolinska Institutet
Hanna Engel
Uppsala University
Gabriel Baldanzi
Uppsala University
Kamalita Pertiwi
Uppsala University
Sergi Sayols-Baixeras
Uppsala University
CIBER - Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red
Rikard Landberg
Chalmers, Life Sciences, Food and Nutrition Science
J. Sundstrom
Uppsala University
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
J. Gustav Smith
Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine
Wallenberg Lab.
Lund University
Gunnar Engström
Lund University
Johan Ärnlöv
Uppsala University
Karolinska Institutet
Dalarna university
M. Orho-Melander
Lund University
L. Lind
Uppsala University
Tove Fall
Uppsala University
Shafqat Ahmad
Södertörn University
Uppsala University
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
0026-0495 (ISSN) 15328600 (eISSN)
Vol. 168 156188Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disease
Nutrition and Dietetics
DOI
10.1016/j.metabol.2025.156188
PubMed
40081615