Pick Proteins Other Than Meat to Cut Diabetes Risk
Substituting nuts, whole grains or low-fat dairy such as yogurt for one daily serving of meat can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 16%-35%, according to the largest and most comprehensive study to date of meat eating and diabetes risk. On the other hand, the study reports that eating just four ounces of red meat daily boosts your risk of developing diabetes by 19%. Processed meat was linked even more strongly to added risk, with a daily serving of two ounces-about one hot dog or sausage, or two strips of bacon-associated with a 51% greater likelihood of diabetes.
Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues studied about 200,000 individuals. They also conducted an updated meta-analysis, combining data from the new study with prior data for a total of 442,101 participants, 28,228 of whom developed type 2 diabetes.
Clearly, the results from this study have huge public health implications given the rising type 2 diabetes epidemic and increasing consumption of red meats worldwide, Dr. Hu comments. The good news is that such troubling risk factors can be offset by swapping red meat for a healthier protein.
Other studies have linked meat consumption with diabetes risk, but this is the first to also calculate the benefits of eating low-fat dairy or plant proteins such as nuts and whole grains instead. Even opting for poultry or fish in place of red meat and processed meat was found to reduce the relative risk of diabetes.
It is important to note that the study was based on sefl-reported information, cautions Anastassios G. Pittas, MD, of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Tufts Medical Center. Eating less red and processed meat may be associated with an overall healthier lifestyle, which may confound results.
Dr. Hu and colleagues adjusted the analyses for lifestyle factors, total calorie intake and weight (Body Mass Index). Even after adjustments, the link between meat and diabetes remained.
The researchers suggested several ways in which meat consumption might contribute to diabetes. The chemical preservatives, such as nitrates, and high sodium content of processed meats can damage cells in the pancreas involved in producing insulin. Red meat is high in heme iron, which can contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation.
How much meat is too much? Dr. Hu advises limiting processed meat to one serving a week and unprocessed red meat to two or three weekly servings. He says, I think thats the level above which it appears to be associated with a substantially increased risk.
TO LEARN MORE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2011; abstract at dx.doi.org10.3945/ ajcn.111.01897.