Red Meat and Diabetes
Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 7:00AM
Cut back on red meat - processed and unprocessed - and you may dramatically lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. After analyzing responses to more than 442,000 questionnaires from studies over 28 years, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health suggested that eating a daily serving of about 1.8 ounces of processed red meat such as hot dogs, sausages or bacon is linked to a 51 percent increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes. The same analysis showed that eating 3.53 ounces daily of unprocessed red meat boosts the risk by 19 percent. The research team also found that substituting a daily serving of nuts cut the risk by 21 percent, substituting low fat dairy led to a 17 percent risk reduction and eating whole grains lowered the risk by 23 percent. The study didn't find that processed and unprocessed red meat causes type 2 diabetes, but rather that increased risks of the disease are associated with the regular consumption of these meats. The study was published online August 10 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Reader Comments (2)
Hmmm. That's an interesting one. I'm just racking my brain for what the mechanism is behind the incresed risk. What's in red meat that's not in other meat that promotes insulin resistance.
Oh goodness! Thank you for the information, very interesting.
My blood test results came back that I am in the type 2 diabetes range so I have been working hard on my diet to correct that (with success).
I have also found out that I am anemic so I have been doing some research on a new menu for myself. I've just stocked up my freezer with lean cut steaks and venison to have at least once a week. : (
I'm also putting together vegetable based high iron (with high Vit C foods to help non-heme iron absorption) recipes.
I'm looking forward to trying your' Tuscan Kale Salad' & 'Turkish Spinach Salad' (http://vimeo.com/19793668), yummm.
My concern is that I have read that calcium is said to inhibit the absorption of non-heme iron. So I have since stopped eating any yogurt at dinner (I have very low calcium as well and early stages of osteoporosis).
I have read another article that stated a new French study showed that to be untrue.
My questions are - what are your thoughts on calcium inhibiting non-heme iron absorption?
Shall I skip high calcium foods with dishes that I'm eating to receive the most iron benefit from?
Thank you so much :)