New research warns one dietary choice may be linked to diabetes: ‘A limit of about one serving per week … would be reasonable’
Sugar, excess carbs, and foods high in saturated fats are all things to avoid for both prevention and control of type 2 diabetes, but another item has been added to the list: red meat.
What happened?
A , led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that people who eat just two servings of red meat a week might be at of developing type 2 diabetes than those who eat fewer. It further found that the risk increases the more red meat you eat.
Previous studies have linked red meat consumption and type 2 diabetes risk, but this study, which analyzed health data from participants for an extended period of years, strengthens the certainty of the association.
Researchers found that participants who ate the most of both processed and unprocessed red meat had a 62% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the least, with each additional daily serving of processed red meat carrying a 46% greater risk and every additional daily serving of unprocessed red meat a 24% greater risk.
“Our findings strongly support dietary guidelines that recommend limiting the consumption of red meat, and this applies to both processed and unprocessed red meat,” first author Xiao Gu, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition, in a news release.
Why is the correlation concerning?
According to the New York Post, data from the United States Department of Agriculture reports that in 2021, Americans consumed of beef, which equals almost 60 pounds per person per year. This statistic means that many of us are likely well within the window of increased risk.
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