An analysis of nearly two million participants published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology indicates that consumption of both processed and unprocessed red meat in different population groups correlates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood sugar levels become too high. This disease occurs due to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance occurs when there is either not enough insulin or the body can no longer use insulin properly. This means that the cells can no longer absorb glucose (blood sugar) for energy.
The study analyzed data from people in 31 different groups worldwide as part of the global Inter Connect project and focused on adults aged 18 and over who reported their diet and any new cases of type 2 diabetes. People with incomplete data or a pre-existing form of diabetes were not included in the study.
The study calculated the risk ratios and their confidence levels for each type of meat consumption at the group level, taking into account possible influencing factors such as body mass index (BMI). In addition, to examine differences between the different groups, the analysis used a method that combines results from several studies while taking into account inconsistencies between them.
The study highlights concerns among people who frequently eat both processed and unprocessed red meat. It found that eating 50 grams of processed meat daily, equivalent to about two slices of ham, can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 15 percent over ten years. Similarly, eating 100 grams of unprocessed red meat daily, about the size of a small steak, increases the risk by 10 percent.
The study also looked at poultry consumption and its association with diabetes risk. Eating 100 grams of poultry daily was associated with an 8 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes, although the results were less consistent than those for red and processed meat.
This study analyzed data from 1,966,444 people. Six of the groups studied consisted primarily of women and three of primarily of men. During the average observation period of 10 years, 107,271 cases of type 2 diabetes (T2D) were identified. Meat consumption patterns varied by region. In European countries, people consumed more processed meat than in other regions, while the American groups reported higher poultry consumption.
The study found that different types of meat carry different risks. For example, 100 grams more of unprocessed red meat per day increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 10% (HR 1.10). Similarly, 50 grams of processed meat per day increases the risk by 15% (HR 1.15) and 100 grams of poultry per day increases the risk by 8% (HR 1.08).
“Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat and a higher future risk of type 2 diabetes,” said Nita Forouhi, professor in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Division of Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the study.
“It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce the number of type 2 diabetes cases in the population,” she continued. “Although our results provide more comprehensive evidence of the association between poultry consumption and type 2 diabetes than previously available, the association remains uncertain and needs further investigation.”
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