New research shows red meat may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
A report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found the link between red meat, particularly processed red meats, could be a contributing factor in the increase of what has previously been known as “sugar diabetes.”
The Harvard School of Public Health found just 50 grams of processed red meat, meaning one hot dog, a sausage or two slices of bacon, increased the risk of diabetes by more than 50 per cent.
A 100 gram serving increased the risk by almost 20 per cent.
In a report in the journal, lead researcher An Pan from Harvard said the conclusions were significant.
“Eating both unprocessed and processed red meat – particularly processed – is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes,” Pan said.
The researchers suggested replacing processed red meat with healthier proteins including whole grains, nuts and low-fat dairy to reduce the risk of diabetes.
Professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard, Frank Hu said the findings are particularly concerning as diabetes becomes more common.
“Clearly, the results from this study have huge public health implications given the rising type 2 diabetes epidemic and increasing consumption of red meat,” he said.
“The good news is that such troubling risk factors can be offset by swapping red meat for healthier protein.”
The researchers combined data from their study with data from existing research that included 442 101 people.
Data on 37 083 men followed for 20 years in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study as well as 79 570 women followed for 28 years in the Nurses Health Study I and a further 87 504 women followed for 14 years in the Nurses’ Health Study II was used in the study.
They made adjustments for age, body mass index (BMI) and other lifestyle and dietary risk factors and found a 100 gram serving of unprocessed red meat increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 19 per cent, while processed meats increased it by 50 per cent.
When an individual who ate one daily serving of red meat substituted it for one serving of nuts per day, the risk of type 2 diabetes was lowered by 21 per cent.
When the meat was replaced with low-fat dairy the risk was 17 per cent lower, and with whole grains 23 per cent lower.
Pan said one concerning factor in the issue is the grouping of red meat together with fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and soy products as ‘protein foods.’
He believes red meat should be distinguished from the rest as it has proven to have negative impacts on consumers, including cardiovascular issues.
“From a public health point of view, reduction of red meat consumption, particularly processed red meat, and replacement of it with other healthy dietary components, should be considered to decrease type 2 diabetes risk,” the research said.
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