Many studies have found that the consumption of processed meats is linked to a higher risk of various forms of cancer and heart disease. Now, new research has discovered that there’s also a higher risk of developing diabetes.
In a study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, researchers from the University of Cambridge found that regular consumption of processed meats — like lunch meat, bacon, sausages and hot dogs — along with unprocessed red meat are major risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes.
The research team analyzed data from 31 cohorts participating in the InterConnect project. Cohorts included those from the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions. Individual participants were at least 18 years of age and “had available data on dietary consumption and incident type 2 diabetes,” the study noted. Those who were unable to participate either had a diagnosis of any type of diabetes at baseline or missing health data. The study contained a total of 1,966,444 eligible participants.
Regular consumption of 50 grams of processed meat a day — or the “equivalent to [two] slices of ham” — is associated with a 15% higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years, researchers noted. Additionally, the consumption of 100 grams of unprocessed red meat a day — or the “equivalent to a small steak” — was associated with a 10% higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers also found that the habitual consumption of 100 grams of poultry a day was associated with an 8% higher risk. However, further analyses that tested the findings under different scenarios revealed that the link between poultry consumption and Type 2 diabetes became “weaker,” the study said. On the other hand, the associations between Type 2 diabetes and both processed meat and unprocessed meat “persisted.”
“Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between eating processed meat and unprocessed red meat and a higher future risk of Type 2 diabetes,” Professor Nita Forouhi of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, and a senior author on the paper, said in a statement. “It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce Type 2 diabetes cases in the population.”
“While our findings provide more comprehensive evidence on the association between poultry consumption and Type 2 diabetes than was previously available, the link remains uncertain and needs to be investigated further,” she added.
Dr. Chunxiao Li, a fellow lead author also of the MRC Epidemiology Unit, explained that examining data from individual participants meant that researchers could “[harmonize] the key data collected across studies, such as the meat intake information and the development of Type 2 diabetes.”
“Using [harmonized] data also meant we could more easily account for different factors, such as lifestyle or health behaviors, that may affect the association between meat consumption and diabetes,” she said.
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Based on the current findings, the study concluded that “lowering the consumption of unprocessed red meat and processed meat could benefit public health by reducing the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.”
The recent study comes amid growing concerns surrounding processed foods and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) — a newfound threat to global public health, per many experts. Unlike their processed counterparts, UPFs are high in high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, synthetic preservatives, artificial flavors, emulsifiers and other additives not found in raw, whole foods.
Calls to ban UPFs have reached a fever pitch in recent years. Carlos Monteiro, the Brazilian epidemiologist who coined the term ultra-processed food, has pushed for an even stricter regulation, urging that tobacco-style warnings be placed on such foods.
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