Since carbohydrates can boost bloodsugar levels, it makes sense that a low-carb eating regimen like the Atkins diet should help ward off diabetes- right? Not so fast, according to a new analysis of two decades of data on 41,410 men. Lawrence de Koning, PhD, of Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues found that low-carb eating habits were actually associated with a greater risk of developing diabetes.The apparent culprit? Red and processed meat consumed in place of all those carbohydrates. Researchers speculated that a type of iron, called heme iron, found in red meat, along with the sodium nitrites added to processed meats like bacon and salami, may encourage the development of diabetes.De Koning and colleagues compared food intakes and diabetes incidence among participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up study who were initially free of diabetes as well as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Over more than 20 years of follow-up, 2,781 of the men developed type 2 diabetes. Although low carbohydrate intake overall was linked to greater diabetes risk, this association went away when the data were adjusted for animal protein and fat intake.If youre not eating carbohydrates, youve got to eat something, commented Sue Kirkman, MD, senior vice president of medical affairs and community information for the American Diabetes Association, at whose annual meeting the findings were presented. Its a little too simplistic to say carbs increase glucose and cause diabetes.Nor, De Koning added, is a high-protein diet necessarily bad. He said, Its important to replace red and processed meat with chicken and fish and also vegetable sources of protein and fat, so nuts and legumes would be top choices.The new study echoes similar results for women in the Nurses Health Study, which also showed higher diabetes risk associated with red and processed meat-but not carbohydrate intake.De Koning cautioned that this observational study does not prove cause-and-effect, but the accumulation of evidence for both men and women supports a generalized conclusion: If you choose the wrong proteins, you may increase your risk of diabetes.TO LEARN MORE: American Diabetes Association, (800) 342-2383,AskADA@diabetes.org, www. diabetes.org.
