Red Meat and Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Original Article: https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)66119-2/fulltext

Is red meat so bad for your health? 

This has been a recurrent question over the years. Is eating red-meat harmful to health (and the environment)? New research has looked at the relationship between eating red meat and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).For this they asked whether it would be healthier to replace red meat with other types of protein in the diet. The study involved almost a quarter of a million participants who were mostly female (81%).

What did the study find?

After tracking for many years, the researchers found that eating red meat, whether processed or not, was associated with an increased risk of developing T2D. The study also showed that when you replace red meat with nuts, legumes, or dairy, the risk of T2D goes down. For example, switching just one serving of red meat with nuts or legumes reduced the risk by 30%k.

Limit your red meat intake!

This study supports the idea that it’s a good idea to limit how much red meat you eat, as it’s linked to a higher risk of developing T2D. Instead, it’s better to choose other sources of protein like nuts, legumes, or dairy.