Sex modifies the association between red meat consumption and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), with men exhibiting a potential risk threshold at 75–90 g/day and women showing no consistent association, indicating sex-based differences in the relationship between red meat intake and liver metabolism.

Men who eat a lot of red meat absorb more heme iron, which builds up in the liver and creates harmful molecules that damage cells and make the liver resistant to insulin. At the same time, men store more fat around their organs, which floods the liver with fatty acids. Together, this causes fat to build up in the liver. Women absorb less heme iron and store fat under the skin instead of around organs, so their livers are protected even when they eat similar amounts of red meat.