United States: Several clinical studies have time and again highlighted the risks of increased red and processed meat with heart diseases, certain kinds of cancer, and shorter life spans.
More about the finding
Two new studies that have emerged in the recent past are the latest to give a nod to a similar conclusion, pointing to a link between the high consumption of meat products and the development of Type 2 diabetes.
In one of the studies published today in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, the investigators compared data from nearly two million adults involved in 31 trials in 20 nations, including the USA and several European and Asian countries, as the New York Times reported.
What have the studies revealed?
The researchers used survey information on participants’ diets and then checked their health an average of ten years later. They also compared the results after controlling for other risk factors such as smoking, increased body mass index, physical inactivity, and a family history of diabetes, and they got similar results for every 1.8 ounces of processed meat each day, their risk for Type 2 diabetes was enhanced by 15 percent.
The data was also indicative of an increased risk of type 2 diabetes by eight percent in the individuals consuming one portion of poultry per day.
However, it was not as conclusive as the red meat findings, and it only retrieved significance in studies conducted in the European region; therefore, scientists need to conduct more research in this area, said Dr. Nita Forouhi, a professor of population health and nutrition at the University of Cambridge who led the study.
The conclusive takeaway, however, is that the less red and processed meat you eat, the better, as the New York Times reported.
Eating meat increases the risks
These findings concur with past research work, such as a large-scale study of the US conducted in October.
Dr Forouhi said there are several possibilities as to why consistently eating processed meat would increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
One is that red and processed meats are usually richer in Saturated fatty acid than unsaturated fatty acid, and this particular fat composition is considered to contribute to insulin resistance, which is a reason for type 2 diabetes.
He also added that people who consume more meat also have more chances of eating healthful food items like fruits and vegetables in lesser quantities, added Dr. Forouhi.