Childhood Meat Eating and Inflammation in Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): CM Schooling, CQ Jiang, TH Lam, WS Zhang, KK Cheng, GM Leung
Primary Institution: The University of Hong Kong
Hypothesis
Socio-economic development could promote a pro-inflammatory state among men but not women in developing countries through nutritionally driven levels of pubertal sex-steroids.
Conclusion
Childhood meat eating is positively associated with inflammatory markers among men but not women, suggesting that economic development may have different health implications for men and women.
Supporting Evidence
- Men with childhood meat eating almost daily had higher white blood cell counts compared to those who ate less.
- The study found that childhood meat eating was positively associated with height and socio-economic position.
- Inflammatory markers were assessed using white blood cell counts and their differentials.
Takeaway
Eating more meat as a child might make men more likely to have higher inflammation levels when they grow up, but it doesn't seem to affect women the same way.
Methodology
Multivariable linear regression was used to examine associations of recalled childhood meat eating with white blood cell count and its differentials.
Potential Biases
Survivor bias may affect the results, and the study did not adjust for potential confounding by diet.
Limitations
Self-reported childhood meat eating may be subject to recall bias and measurement error; the sample may not be population representative.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 2,498 men and 7,369 women aged 50 years and older from southern China.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.33 for almost daily meat eating vs <1/week in men for white blood cell count
Confidence Interval
0.10 to 0.56 for white blood cell count in men
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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