An Analysis Reported in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology Involving Nearly Two Million Participants Indicates That Consuming Both Processed and Unprocessed Red Meat Correlates with an Elevated Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Across Various Populations.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood sugar becomes too high. This disease occurs because of Insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is when there is either not enough insulin or your body becomes unable to use insulin properly. This hinders cells from being able to uptake glucose (blood sugar) for energy production.

The study analyzed data from individuals across 31 diverse groups worldwide, part of the global Inter Connect project, focusing on adults aged 18 and older who reported their diet and any new cases of type 2 diabetes. People with incomplete data or any pre-existing form of diabetes were not included in the study.

The study calculated the risk ratios, along with their confidence levels, for each type of meat consumption at the group level, adjusting for possible influencing factors like body mass index (BMI). Additionally, to explore variations across the different groups, the analysis used a method that combines results from multiple studies while accounting for inconsistencies among them.

The research highlights concerns for those who frequently eat both processed and unprocessed red meats. It found that consuming 50 grams of processed meat daily, equivalent to two slices of ham, can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 15 percent over ten years. Similarly, consuming 100 grams of unprocessed red meat each day, roughly the size of a small steak, raises the risk by 10 percent.

The study also looked into poultry consumption and its connection to diabetes risk. Eating 100 grams of poultry daily was associated with an 8 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes, although the findings were less consistent than those for red and processed meats.

Data from 1,966,444 people were analyzed in this research. Among the groups studied, six consisted primarily of women, and three were mainly composed of men. During the average follow-up period of 10 years, 107,271 cases of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) were identified. Meat consumption patterns varied by region, with individuals in European countries consuming more processed meat than those in other areas, while the American groups reported higher poultry consumption.

The study found distinct risks associated with different types of meat. For instance, each additional 100 grams per day of unprocessed red meat consumed increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 10% (HR 1.10). Similarly, 50 grams per day of processed meat increases the risk by 15% (HR 1.15), and 100 grams per day of poultry by 8% (HR 1.08).

“Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between eating processed meat and unprocessed red meat and a higher future risk of type 2 diabetes,” said Nita Forouhi, a professor at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge and senior author of the study.

“It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population,” she continued. “While our findings provide more comprehensive evidence on the association between poultry consumption and type 2 diabetes than was previously available, the link remains uncertain and needs to be investigated further.”