Is your love for meat putting you at risk of diabetes?

Recent research has increasingly linked meat-heavy diets, particularly those rich in red and processed meats, to a heightened risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. A study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology analysed data from nearly two million adults across 31 studies conducted in 20 countries, including the United States, Europe, and Asia. Researchers examined participants’ diets and monitored their health over an average of ten years.

The findings were startling: consuming just 1.8 ounces (approximately 52 grammes) of processed meat daily — about the size of a medium sausage or two to three slices of bacon — was associated with a 15 per cent increase in the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Similarly, a daily intake of 3.

5 ounces (approximately 100 grammes) of unprocessed red meat, roughly equivalent to a small steak, led to a 10 per cent increase in diabetes risk. Watch : Dr. Nita Forouhi, a professor of population health and nutrition at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the study, stated the importance of reducing red and processed meat intake.

“The takeaway,” she noted, “is that the less red and processed meat you eat, the better.” What role does Heme iron play? Another study, conducted by researchers at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health and published in Nature Metabolism , provided further insights into how meat consumption might increase diabetes risk. The study followed 206,615 adults for nearly four decades, examining their.