Harvard Researchers Discover That Consuming Red Meat May Boost Your Risk of Diabetes

Even two servings of red meat per week can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study. With more usage, the risk increases. Red meat can increase this risk, but healthier plant-based protein sources like nuts and legumes or dairy products can reduce it. Beyond health benefits, substituting plant proteins for animal proteins can help reduce environmental problems including greenhouse gas emissions.

Red meat substitution for plant-derived protein sources could reduce diabetes risk and have positive environmental effects.

According to a recent study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, even just two servings of red meat per week can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes compared to people who consume less of it. The study also shows that consuming more meat increases this risk. However, consuming modest amounts of dairy or healthy plant-based proteins like nuts and legumes in place of red meat can help reduce the risk of developing the illness.

Xiao Gu, a postdoctoral research researcher in the Department of Nutrition, who is the study's primary author, stated that "our findings strongly support dietary guidelines that recommend limiting the consumption of red meat, and this applies to both processed and unprocessed red meat."

Although red meat eating has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in earlier research, this study provides additional confidence in this association by analyzing a significant number of type 2 diabetes cases among people who were followed for an extended period of time.

Growing Apprehensions and Research Approach

Globally and in the United States, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising quickly. This is worrisome not just because the illness is a tremendous burden, but also because it poses a significant risk for dementia, cancer, and kidney and cardiovascular diseases. In order to conduct this study, the researchers examined health data from 216,695 people in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS), NHS II, and Nurses’ Health Study (NHS). Food frequency questionnaires were used to evaluate diets for up to 36 years, every two to four years. Over 22,000 people got type 2 diabetes over this time.

Important Research Results

The researchers discovered a robust correlation between eating red meat—both processed and unprocessed—and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Compared to individuals who consumed the least red meat, those who consumed the most were at a 62% increased risk of type 2 diabetes. A 46% increased risk of type 2 diabetes was linked to each additional daily serving of processed red meat, whereas a 24% increased risk was linked to each additional daily serving of unprocessed red meat.

The possible consequences of switching from one serving of red meat per day to another protein source were also calculated by the researchers. They discovered that exchanging a serving of dairy products for a serving of nuts and legumes was linked to a 22% lower risk of type 2 diabetes and a 30% lower risk overall.

Senior author Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition, stated, "Given our findings and previous work by others, a limit of about one serving per week of red meat would be reasonable for people wishing to optimize their health and wellbeing."

The researchers found that replacing red meat with plant-based protein sources would have positive effects on the environment in addition to improving health by lowering greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.

Reference: Xiao Gu, Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, Frank M. Sacks, Frank B. Hu, Bernard Rosner, and Walter C. Willett, "Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 19, 2023.

This is you updater - Farhan. Signing off