The aim of this study was to correlate the consumption of different types of meat (beef, pork, poultry, and sheep) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) prevalence in 34 countries. We extracted data on per capita meat consumption (including beef, pork, poultry, and sheep) from 34 countries using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) database. The prevalence of OSA in each country was derived from previously published model-based estimates obtained from a literature-based analysis, using apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) cut-offs of ≥ 5 and ≥ 15. Spearman’s correlation test was used to assess the association between per capita meat consumption and the prevalence of OSA. One-way ANOVA was conducted to compare OSA prevalence according to different types of meat consumption. Linear regression models were performed to evaluate whether total meat consumption was an independent predictor of OSA prevalence. The average annual per capita meat consumption in these 34 countries was 48.15 kg (± 27.45), while the mean prevalence of OSA (AHI ≥ 5) was 35.86% (± 19.18%), and the average prevalence of moderate to severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15) was 16.32% (± 10.07). No statistically relevant correlations were observed between total meat consumption and AHI (AHI ≥ 5 events per hour: r=-0.153, p = 0.389; and AHI ≥ 15 events per hour: r=-0.043, p = 0.808). There were no statistically significant correlations between OSA prevalence and the different types of meat consumed. Total meat consumption was not significantly associated with AHI ≥ 5 (β = 0.59, 95% CI: −0.00 to 0.78, p = 0.05) and AHI ≥ 15 (β = 0.31, 95% CI: −0.12 to 0.41, p = 0.28). There was no correlation between meat consumption and OSA prevalence. These findings suggest that dietary meat quantity is not related to OSA prevalence.
Silva-Júnior et al. (Fri,) studied this question.