Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23967140›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2013

Red and processed meat intake is associated with higher gastric cancer risk: a meta-analysis of epidemiological observational studies.

Hongcheng Zhu, Xi Yang, Chi Zhang, Chen Zhu, Guangzhou Tao, Lianjun Zhao, Shaowen Tang, Zheng Shu, Jing Cai, Shengbin Dai and 4 more

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
66citing papers in PubMed, 14 pooled it
11.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

66 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 113 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances exposure and risk of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP) · 2025
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  8. A summary of meat intakes and health burdens.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2018
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  11. Association between EGF +61 A>G polymorphism and gastric cancer risk: A meta-analysis.Journal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Medical sciences = Hua zhong ke ji da xue xue bao. Yi xue Ying De wen ban = Huazhong keji daxue xuebao. Yixue Yingdewen ban · 2015
    Pooled it
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  13. Red meat consumption and stomach cancer risk: a meta-analysis.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2014
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  16. Ultra-processed Foods and Gastrointestinal Cancer: Epidemiologic Evidence, Mechanistic Pathways, and Clinical Implications.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026
    Review
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6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Hongcheng ZhuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Xi Yang
Chi Zhang
Chen Zhu
Guangzhou Tao
Lianjun Zhao
Shaowen Tang
Zheng Shu
Jing Cai
Shengbin Dai
Qin Qin
Liping Xu
Hongyan Cheng
Xinchen Sun
Nanjing Medical University · CNJiangsu Province Hospital · CNHuaian First People’s Hospital · CNNantong Tumor Hospital · CNNantong University · CNPeking University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRed and processed meat was concluded as a limited-suggestive risk factor of gastric cancer by the World Cancer Research Fund. However, recent epidemiological studies have yielded inconclusive results.

methodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from their inception to April 2013 for both cohort and case-control studies which assessed the association between red and/or processed meat intake and gastric cancer risk. Study-specific relative risk estimates were polled by random-effect or fixed-effect models.

resultsTwelve cohort and thirty case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis. Significant associations were found between both red (RR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.22-1.73) and processed (RR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.26-1.65) meat intake and gastric cancer risk generally. Positive findings were also existed in the items of beef (RR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04-1.57), bacon (RR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.17-1.61), ham (RR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.00-2.06), and sausage (RR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.16-1.52). When conducted by study design, the association was significant in case-control studies (RR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.33-1.99) but not in cohort studies (RR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.90-1.17) for red meat. Increased relative risks were seen in high-quality, adenocarcinoma, cardia and European-population studies for red meat. And most subgroup analysis confirmed the significant association between processed meat intake and gastric cancer risk.

conclusionsOur findings indicate that consumption of red and/or processed meat contributes to increased gastric cancer risk. However, further investigation is needed to confirm the association, especially for red meat.

Indexed as

EatingEpidemiologic StudiesFood HandlingHumansMeatObservational Studies as TopicRiskStomach Neoplasms

Identifiers

PMID23967140
PMCPMC3743884
OpenAlexW1982703223

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.