Estimates of attributable deaths from red meat consumption are expected to be reduced in the next Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study published in The Lancet.

It comes as the author of the GBD study responded to concerns expressed in a letter by a number of scientists about the methodologies used in the study.

Furthermore, to “aid in interpretability of the strength of evidence supporting our analyses, we are introducing a five-star rating system in GBD 2020”. This will result in a change in the findings of the study in relation to red meat.

The response comes following a letter penned by six leading scientists that challenged the findings of the GBD 2019 study that was published by the leading medical journal a year and a half before.

The scientists, led by Prof Alice Stanton from Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, stated that the data originally published in The Lancet was flawed and the authors of the original letter are now calling for the GBD 2019 study to be retracted.

The publication of the letter in The Lancet came nine months after its submission to the journal and a year and a half after the original research was published.

Findings

The Global Burden of Disease findings, published in October 2020, attributed 896,000 deaths and 23.9 million disability adjusted life years globally to the consumption of unprocessed red meat, essentially concluding that eating any amount of red meat is harmful.

In the letter, Professor Stanton and her colleagues highlighted serious concerns surrounding the methodologies used in the research that led to the conclusion that intake of red meat is harmful.

Since publication, the findings of the research have been widely referenced, which has led to public health concerns.

In line with this, the authors of the letter are now calling for the GBD 2019 study to be retracted to avoid an increase in conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia, sarcopenia and child and maternal malnutrition which they fear could rise as a result of the original findings.