Eating meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 23 per cent, new research reveals.
People who consume the highest amounts of red meat raise their likelihood of developing the condition by 23 per cent over those who eat the lowest quantities, a study found.
Frequently eating poultry increases the risk of the condition by 15 per cent, the research adds.
The same is not true for fish or seafood, the study found.
Red meat and poultry are thought to raise type 2 diabetes’ risk as they contain the iron-rich compound heme, as well as other chemicals, which may increase a person’s susceptibility to the insulin-resistance condition.
Eating meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 23 per cent, new research reveals
How the research was carried out
Researchers from Duke–NUS Medical School in Singapore analysed 63,257 adults aged between 45 and 74 from 1993 to 1998.
The study’s participant’s diet was assessed via a questionnaire.
Type 2 diabetes diagnoses were determined in follow-up interviews between 1999 and 2004, and 2006 and 2010.
Meat increases diabetes risk by up to 23%
Results reveal those with the highest red meat consumption are 23 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who eat the lowest amounts.
Frequently eating poultry increases the risk of the condition by 15 per cent.
Fish and seafood are not associated with type 2 diabetes’ onset.
The researchers believe the iron-containing compound heme, as well as other chemicals, in red meat and poultry increase a person’s risk. It is unclear how heme is involved in the condition’s onset.
Eating parts of the chicken with lower heme levels, such as breast over thighs, may be healthier, they add.
Lead author Professor Koh Woon Puay said: ‘We don’t need to remove meat from the diet entirely. [We] just need to reduce the daily intake, especially for red meat, and choose chicken breast and fish/shellfish, or plant-based protein food and dairy products, to reduce the risk of diabetes.
‘At the end of the day, we want to provide the public with information to make evidence-based choices in picking the healthier food to reduce disease risk.’
Dr Annie Ling, director of policy, research and surveillance at Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB) added: ‘The findings affirm the HPB’s recommendation to consume red meat in moderation, and that a healthy and balanced diet should contain sufficient and varied protein sources, including healthier alternatives to red meat such as fish, tofu and legumes.’
The findings were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.