Two slices of ham a day raises risk of type 2 diabetes, major study shows
The extensive analysis used nearly two million participants to determine the association between meat intake and type 2 diabetes.
Consumption of red and processed meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a major new study.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge wanted to determine if there is an association between meat consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes.
For the study, researchers analyzed the data of 1.97 million participants from 20 different countries.
The researchers found that daily consumption of 50 grams of processed meat a day - the equivalent to 2 slices of ham - is associated with a 15 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years.
Consumption of 100 grams of unprocessed red meat a day - the size of a small steak - was associated with a 10 percent risk of type 2 diabetes.
The research took into account factors such age, gender, and health-related behaviours, and the link between type 2 diabetes and processed and unprocessed meat persisted.
“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”, said the study’s senior author Professor Nita Forouhi, of the University of Cambridge.
“It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population.”
There were also separate findings in the study for poultry consumption, with daily intake of 100 grams of poultry associated with a 8 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
However, researchers noted that for poultry specifically, the association became weaker when tested under different scenarios. The link between poultry and type 2 diabetes risk “remains uncertain” and needs to be “investigated further”, according to the study.
Scientific research and the health risks of meat consumption
The study, published in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, notes that global meat production has increased rapidly in recent decades, and average meat consumption exceeds dietary guidelines in many countries.
At the same time, scientific research is increasingly finding associations between meat consumption and various health risks.
Earlier this year a four decade study of more than 130,000 people found that just two servings of processed red meat per week raises the risk of dementia by 14 percent compared to those who eat less than three servings a month.
The same study also found that eating healthy, plant-based foods like nuts, beans and tofu can help lower the risk of dementia.
“Processed red meat has also been shown to raise the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes”, says Yuhan Li, a research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and lead author of the study into dementia risk. Li adds that meat's negative effects on brain health may be because the meat has high levels of harmful substances such as nitrites (preservatives) and sodium.
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