Newspaper headlines are warning eating "a ham sandwich a day" increases a the risk of type 2 diabetes - but experts say it is not that simple. A study of nearly two million people from 20 different countries found a link with both red and processed meats, such as steak, bacon and sausages. But doctors say while the research has been done well, the findings are nuanced and should not cause fear or panic.
It is sensible to limit intake, in line with healthy-eating guidelines, they say, but the study should not wipe meat off the menu. The research, in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, has an inevitable limitation - it cannot prove meat causes diabetes, because it is impossible to discount the other possible risk factors, such as other foods people in the study ate and the lifestyle they led. Dr Duane Mellor, of the British Dietetic Association, said: "The authors did try to control for other risk factors associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, including having a higher body weight, smoking, alcohol, low vegetable intake.
" But missing data meant they could not account for the effect of family history, insulin resistance or waist circumference, which are more strongly associated with diabetes. "So it is possible that the increased risk associated with processed and red meat intake could be a result of these other confounding factors," Dr Mellor said. Studies such as this also rely on participants telling the truth and accurately recalling what th.