BERNAMA-DPA – A large study has revealed that eating just two slices of red meat per day may raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 15 per cent within the next decade.
The research, led by a team from the University of Cambridge, analysed data from nearly two million people. It also found that consuming 100 grammes (g) of unprocessed red meat daily – the equivalent of a small steak – was linked to a 10 per cent higher risk of diabetes.
The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, support recommendations to reduce red meat consumption.
Senior author Professor Dr Nita Forouhi, of Cambridge’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, said, “Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between eating processed meat and unprocessed red meat, and a higher future risk of type 2 diabetes.
“It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population.”
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) advises those eating more than 90 grammes (g) of red meat, such as beef, lamb, mutton, veal, venison and goat, or processed meat, such as sausages and corned beef a day to cut down to 70g or less.
For the study, the researchers analysed data from 31 study cohorts involving 1.97 million people across 20 countries through InterConnect – a project funded by the European Union to understand more about diabetes and obesity across different populations.
They found 50g of processed meat a day was associated with a 15 per cent higher risk of type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years.
But they said the link between eating poultry, such as chicken, turkey and duck, and type 2 diabetes, remains uncertain and needs further investigation.
The researchers said the InterConnect data allowed the team to “more easily account for different factors, such as lifestyle or health behaviours, that may affect the association between meat consumption and diabetes”.
It also included people usually under-represented in scientific research, with cohorts from countries in the Middle East, Latin America and South Asia, alongside Europe and the United States.
Study senior author and the MRC Epidemiology Unit director Prof Dr Nick Wareham said the data “allowed us to provide more concrete evidence of the link between consumption of different types of meat and type 2 diabetes than was previously possible”.
Commenting on the study, experts said that while the research cannot show how or why red and processed meat intake increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, the findings align with the current healthy eating recommendations.
Dietitian and British Dietetic Association spokesperson Dr Duane Mellor, who was not involved in the study, said, “The overall message to moderate meat intake is in line with (UK) healthy eating guidelines and advice to reduce risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which include eating a diet which is based on vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, beans, peas and lentils, along with some wholegrain and moderate amounts of meat and dairy with limited amounts of added fat, salt and sugar.
“This should be accompanied by regular physical activity to minimise risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If people are considering reducing their meat intake, it is important that the nutrients found in meat are obtained from other foods – these include iron, vitamin B12 and protein.
“It is important when considering reducing or taking a type of food out of the diet, that any replacement foods provide the same nutrients to maintain a healthy diet overall.”
