Nutrition Consensus

Evidence sentiment publication

[BEEF] Animal foods

Red meat

Last updated May 25, 2026 · Updated weekly

Is red meat good for you today?

Strongly negative. The current red meat ledger reflects 261 linked evidence items, with the score shaped by study direction, evidence weight, recency, and disagreement.

Additional analyst color: The methods desk is waiting for citations before taking a position.

Current score

-80

Sentiment

Strongly negative

Confidence

73 / 100

Controversy

7 / 100

Settled

Evidence items

261

30D0
90D0
1Y-1

The red meat evidence ledger is tracking 261 linked items. The index may move as stronger or more recent studies enter the tape.

Analyst noteConfidence is computed from 261 evidence items and reflects usable evidence volume, source mix, and directional coherence.

Last meaningful move

Sep 2020

Score move

-11

points

Driven by

Preventive Role of Diet Interventions and Dietary Factors in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Umbrella Review.

Nutrients · Sep 6, 2020 · Negative · index impact -11

This study carried one of the largest negative public impacts added to the ledger around the move.

View study ->

Evidence sentiment index

Historical price of the red meat thesis

Start
End
-100-500+50Zero line: mixed
Latest-80
SignalStrongly negative
Confidence73 / 100

Axis fitted: -100 to +50. Index scale remains -100 to +100.

Latest studies

Evidence tape

Sorted by publication date, newest first.

Did we miss a study?

Showing 3 of 261 studies after filter and sort.

expert commentary

A comprehensive evaluation of epidemiological evidence on processed meat intake in relation to cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases and all-cause mortality: an umbrella review

Frontiers in Public Health · Apr 28, 2026Open study
Direction: Strong negativeIndex impact -9

Umbrella review of 54 meta-analyses found processed meat associated with higher risk of multiple cancers, CVD, metabolic disorders, and all-cause mortality, with 50 g/day linked to 72% higher gastric and 17% higher colorectal cancer risk.

Limitations: Certainty of evidence rated low to very low by GRADE.

Evidence weight 9 / 100semanticscholarprocessed-meatcancerumbrella-reviewdoi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1763155pmid:null

expert commentary

TGF-β-pathway-based polygenic risk score modifies the association between red meat intake and colorectal cancer risk: Application of a novel pathway-based PRS method

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention · Apr 1, 2026Open study
Direction: NegativeIndex impact -1

Pooled CRC consortium analysis found a TGF-beta-pathway polygenic risk score significantly modifies the association between red meat intake and colorectal cancer risk.

Limitations: Gene-environment mechanistic analysis; interaction effect.

Evidence weight 2 / 100semanticscholarcolorectal-cancergene-environmentdoi:10.1158/1055-9965.epi-25-1754pmid:null

expert commentary

Burden of colon and rectum cancer attributable to a diet high in red meat in the United States, 1990–2021

Frontiers in Nutrition · Mar 24, 2026Open study
Direction: NegativeIndex impact -2

GBD analysis estimated ~12,053 US colorectal cancer deaths attributable to high red meat intake in 2021, with rising mortality among adults aged 25-49.

Limitations: Authors explicitly note ecological, model-based estimates not reflecting individual-level causal effects.

Evidence weight 2 / 100semanticscholarcolorectal-cancergbd-ecologicaldoi:10.3389/fnut.2026.1683427pmid:null

Showing 3 of 261 studies.