Here's Why Red Meat May Increase Your Risk of Diabetes

Iron in red meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26%, Harvard researchers warn.

A new study has found that heme iron, found in red meat and other animal products, is linked to a 26% increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to non-heme iron found in plant-based foods.

While previous studies relied solely on epidemiological data, in this study the researchers "integrated multiple layers of information, including conventional metabolic biomarkers and cutting-edge metabolomics research ," said lead author Fenglei Wang, a research associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States.

Metabolism is the study of small molecules in cells and tissues. The study was published in the journal Nature Metabolism.

Harvard researchers warn that iron in red meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26%.

Researchers say cutting down on red meat and adopting a more plant-based diet could help reduce the risk of diabetes.

The findings also raise concerns about adding heme iron to increasingly popular plant-based meat alternatives to enhance the taste and appearance of the meat, they said.

In this study, researchers used 36 years of dietary self-report data from more than 200,000 adults, nearly 80% of whom were women.

Participants were enrolled in the Health Studies I and II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which aimed to investigate risk factors for major chronic diseases.

Researchers analyzed the different forms of iron the participants consumed, including heme iron, non-heme iron, and iron from supplements, as well as their type 2 diabetes status.

In a smaller group of more than 37,000 participants, the team looked at the biological processes behind the link between blood iron and type 2 diabetes.

To conduct this study, data on participants' plasma metabolic biomarkers, including markers related to insulin levels, blood sugar, lipids, and inflammation, were analyzed.

The researchers then looked at the metabolic profiles of more than 9,000 participants — plasma concentrations of small-molecule metabolites, which are substances derived from body processes like breaking down food or chemicals.

They also found that blood iron accounted for more than half of the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with unprocessed red meat and a moderate proportion of the risk of some diets associated with T2D.

“We observed that higher heme iron intake was associated with adverse plasma biomarkers in the areas of insulinemia, lipids, inflammation, iron storage, and metabolites relevant to type 2 diabetes,” the researchers wrote .

The findings also raise concerns about adding heme iron to increasingly popular plant-based meat alternatives to enhance the taste and appearance of the meat, they said.

In this study, researchers used 36 years of dietary self-report data from more than 200,000 adults, nearly 80% of whom were women.

Participants were enrolled in the Health Studies I and II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which aimed to investigate risk factors for major chronic diseases.

Researchers analyzed the different forms of iron the participants consumed, including heme iron, non-heme iron, and iron from supplements, as well as their type 2 diabetes status.

In a smaller group of more than 37,000 participants, the team looked at the biological processes behind the link between blood iron and type 2 diabetes.

To conduct this study, data on participants' plasma metabolic biomarkers, including markers related to insulin levels, blood sugar, lipids, and inflammation, were analyzed.

The researchers then looked at the metabolic profiles of more than 9,000 participants — plasma concentrations of small-molecule metabolites, which are substances derived from body processes like breaking down food or chemicals.