Red Meat Consumption Increases Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a study suggesting that eating as little as one serving a day of red meat increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. Taken from dietary surveys of more than 200,000 participants in the Harvard Nurses’ Health and the Health Professionals Follow-up studies,Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, said "we found that one serving per day of processed meat like a hot dog or sausage was associated with a 50 percent increased risk of diabetes compared with people who ate processed meat less than once a month." (Unprocessed meats in the diet led to a 20 percent increased risk)
Dr. Hu suggested the following:
- The high iron content of red meat can increase inflammatory chemicals, which can destroy insulin-producing beta cells.
- The nitrates in processed meats may also be toxic to beta cells, which could explain why processed meats contributed even more to risk
- Last, those who ate the most red meat also tended to eat fewer fruits and vegetables and were more likely to smoke and be obese.
Dr. Hu added that the finding sends a clear message that Americans should be emphasizing more of a plant-based diet and looking for other sources of protein such as nuts, fish, low-fat dairy, and poultry.
