Red & Processed Meat Swap with Legumes May Reduce Gallbladder Disease Risk: Study
Denmark: Researchers have found in a new study that replacing just one weekly serving of red or processed meat with legumes or pulses may lower or stabilize the risk of gallbladder disease over time. The findings, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, offer fresh insight into how simple dietary substitutions may support long-term gallbladder health.
The investigation, led by Fie Langmann from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University, explored whether swapping animal-based protein sources—specifically red and processed meat, poultry, or fish—with legumes could influence the development of gallbladder disease. Legumes are widely promoted as both climate-friendly and nutritionally beneficial, and this study aimed to assess their potential impact on gallbladder-related outcomes.
Using data from the UK Biobank, the researchers analyzed participants who had completed at least two 24-hour dietary recalls and provided comprehensive information on lifestyle, socioeconomic factors, and health status. Dietary intake was captured using the Oxford WebQ, a web-based questionnaire designed to estimate average consumption across multiple food groups, including legumes, meat, poultry, and fish.
The study defined gallbladder disease broadly—encompassing gallstones (cholelithiasis), gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy), and inflammation (cholecystitis). These conditions were identified through national health registries using ICD-10 diagnosis codes and surgical procedure records. To estimate the effect of replacing specific foods with legumes, the researchers used multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models, controlling for potential confounding factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, lifestyle behaviors, and body mass index.
Key Findings:
- The final analysis included 121,593 adults from the UK Biobank cohort.
- Over a median follow-up of 10.5 years, the participants contributed more than 1.24 million person-years of data.
- During this period, 3,772 new cases of gallbladder disease were identified.
- Replacing 80 grams per week of red and processed meat with legumes was linked to a modest but statistically significant reduction in gallbladder disease risk.
- The hazard ratio for this substitution was 0.97, indicating a small yet meaningful protective effect.
- No association was found when poultry or fish were replaced with an equivalent amount of legumes.
- Adjusting for BMI did not alter the results, suggesting that the observed associations were not influenced by differences in body weight.
The authors note that while the effect size is modest, even small dietary adjustments may be beneficial at the population level. They suggest that for individuals with eating patterns similar to those in the UK Biobank cohort, swapping one weekly serving of red or processed meat for legumes might help reduce the likelihood of gallbladder problems or help maintain a stable risk over time.
They also emphasize the need for further research, particularly in populations where legume consumption is higher or more culturally embedded, to validate and strengthen these observations.
Reference:
Langmann, F., Ibsen, D.B., Johnston, L.W. et al. Replacing red and processed meat, poultry, or fish with legumes and the risk of gallbladder diseases in a large British cohort. Eur J Nutr 64, 318 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-025-03828-1
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