Switching from red meat to plant-derived protein sources could lower the risk of diabetes and offer environmental benefits. Consuming as few as two servings of red meat weekly could elevate the risk of type 2 diabetes in comparison to those who consume less, a recent study from Harvard T.H. Chan Sc

While previous studies have found a link between red meat consumption and type 2 diabetes risk, this study, which analyzed a large number of type 2 diabetes cases among participants being followed for an extended period of years, adds a greater level of certainty about the association.

Type 2 diabetes rates are increasing rapidly in the U.S. and worldwide. This is concerning not only because the disease is a serious burden, but it also is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney disease, cancer, and dementia.

For this study, the researchers analyzed health data from 216,695 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), NHS II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Diet was assessed with food frequency questionnaires every two to four years, for up to 36 years. During this time, more than 22,000 participants developed type 2 diabetes. Key Research Outcomes

The researchers found that consumption of red meat, including processed and unprocessed red meat, was strongly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Participants who ate the most red meat had a 62% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the least. Every additional daily serving of processed red meat was associated with a 46% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and every additional daily serving of unprocessed red meat was associated with a 24% greater risk.

The researchers also estimated the potential effects of substituting one daily serving of red meat for another protein source. They found that substituting a serving of nuts and legumes was associated with a 30% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and substituting a serving of dairy products was associated with a 22% lower risk.

  • IHeartBadCode
    8•1 year ago

    Our study supports current dietary recommendations for limiting consumption of red meat intake and emphasizes the importance of different alternative sources of protein for T2D prevention.

    I think there’s going to be lots of people who get on here and think this study says “eat no red meat” or even “eat no meat”. But that is not what is being said. The recommendation for red meat intake is:

    Limit consumption to no more than about three portions per week. Three portions is equivalent to about 350–500g (about 12–18oz) cooked weight.

    Which is quite a bit of red meat to begin with. So if you’re eating above that rate, that’s a pretty intense rate of consumption. You should really diversify your diet. We already know that high rates of red meat is responsible for colorectal cancer so that T2D also comes with it shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone.

    At no point is any researcher indicating anyone swap over to Vegan. The World Cancer Research Fund indicates:

    This Recommendation is not to completely avoid eating meat. Meat can be a valuable source of nutrients, in particular protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12. However, eating meat is not an essential part of a healthy diet.

    The highlight is mine, but the point is that red meat is not a requirement for a healthy diet. Like anything, too much of any ONE thing is not good for anyone. I think the red meat eaters of the world look at all of this as an attack on their way of life and that’s hardly the case. Red meat is a good source for various nutrients, but the rate that “SOME” eat it at is unhealthy and that’s what really needs to be put into check.

    And it’s not just the “if I eat 24oz of meat, I need to exercise extra”, that just takes care of the caloric value, but that doesn’t address the nitrosylation of cell walls by nitroso compounds formed by the ingestion of red meat. Your body is setup to take a particular amount of this kind of damage (humans are omnivores after all) but continually doing it means malformed cells that could become cancer get more chances for expression. No amount of exercise rebuilds that cellular lining just like no amount of exercise rebuilds lung tissue damaged by smoking. Only time fixes that.

    I myself stay away from red meat as a personal choice, but I think everyone should have that choice. But I think it’s important to note there’s an upper bound of red meat humans can eat and there’s a lot of humans that are eating between ten to twenty times that amount. Like, I get it red meat eaters, you really like red meat, by all means continue onward, but I think it is important to consider for a moment how far over 18oz/wk cooked weight some go. I myself eat 0 oz/wk, but I know that’s not for everyone, but I also know that >18oz/wk is just unsustainable.

    I don’t want to take anything away from anyone, I just ask that the red meat eaters keep the amount they ingest in their mind. Colorectal cancer is something I would wish on no one (as I’ve seen some family members die of it), and if there is something that I can encourage anyone to do to lessen their chances of getting it, I would highly recommend being mindful of it.