High-protein diet linked to heart failure in older women

Story highlights Women older than 50 with a high-protein diet could be at higher risk for heart failure, study says The risk was especially high for women who got most of their protein from meat CNN — Women older than 50 who eat high-protein diets could have a greater risk of heart failure, especially if a lot of their protein comes from meat, according to a new study presented at the annual scientific conference of the American Heart Association. Researchers found that postmenopausal women who follow a high-protein diet had a significantly higher rate of heart failure than those who ate less protein daily or ate more vegetable protein. “We found that by increasing the total dietary protein intake, there was a statically significant increase in the incidence of heart failure,” said Dr. Mohamad Barbour, an internist at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island and lead author of the study. “It appears that a high-protein diet may increase the risk of heart failure among postmenopausal women; however, more research will be needed.” Follow CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.