According to a Harvard study, people who eat just two servings of red meat per week may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study found that higher red meat consumption increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Other foods that can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes include:
- Processed foods such as packaged snacks, packaged meat, chips, granola bars, sweets, and fast foods
- Trans fat, found in things such as margarine, snack food, packaged baked goods, and many fried foods
- Sugary drinks such as fruit juice, sports drinks, and soda
- Alcohol
If you are managing diabetes, you can try to eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fiber, fruit, and vegetables. You can also cut back on red and processed meat, and salt.
Around 22,000 of them developed type 2 diabetes, according to a press release from the university. Those who consumed the highest amount of red meat were 62% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the least amount.
A new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has revealed which food could more than double the risk of type 2 diabetes. Although all red meats drove up the risk, processed meats did so more than their unprocessed counterparts.
For every daily serving of processed red meat, the diabetes risk increased by 46%, compared to 24% for each serving of unprocessed meat.
“Our findings strongly support that limiting intake of red meat and instead choosing mainly plant sources of protein will help reduce an individual’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes and its consequences,” said first author Xiao Gu, postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard in Boston, in a statement to Fox News Digital.
By comparison, eating one serving of nuts and legumes reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30%. A serving of dairy products drove down the risk by 22%.
Those who consumed the highest amount of red meat were 62% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the least amount, the study found. (iStock)
As Gu pointed out, there are many different viewpoints about whether people should limit consumption of red meat.
“We employed advanced methods to take into account possible errors in reporting dietary intake, and we controlled in detail for extraneous factors that might account for our findings.
“Our findings provide a greater level of certainty about this important relationship.” Among people who consume the traditional Mediterranean diet, which limits red meat intake, “abundant evidence” has shown health benefits, said Gu.
Based on the study findings, the researchers recommend limiting red meat consumption to no more than two servings per week — “and once would be better,” Gu said.
“Adopting this dietary strategy will help reduce individuals’ risk of developing type 2 diabetes and its consequences, which will ultimately improve the health and well-being of people worldwide.” Therefore, he said, adopting a dietary pattern with limited amounts of red meat intake is healthy and realistic.
Approximately 37.3 million Americans — 11.3% of the U.S. population — had diabetes as of 2019, per the latest data from the American Diabetes Association.
