KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Consuming processed or red meat can heighten the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Even two slices of ham daily could elevate the risk by 15 per cent, according to research led by the University of Cambridge.
The Guardian reported that the study, which includes data from two million people worldwide, offers the most thorough evidence yet of the link between meat consumption and this significant global health risk.
Over 400 million people have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, and lower limb amputations.
Alongside maintaining a healthy weight and increasing physical activity, improving diet is shown to be one of the key strategies for reducing the risk of this disease.
According to The Guardian, experts who performed a meta-analysis on data from 1.97 million adults across 20 countries in Europe, the Americas, the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and the western Pacific conclude that their results back guidelines to reduce the intake of processed and red meat. The findings were published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal.
Prof Nita Forouhi from the University of Cambridge, a senior author of the study, told The Guardian: “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. It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population.”
Researchers looked data from 31 study groups through InterConnect, an EU-funded project aimed at gaining insights into type 2 diabetes and obesity across various populations.
They discovered that regularly eating 50g of processed meat daily — about two slices of ham — was linked to a 15 per cent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes within the next decade. Additionally, consuming 100g of unprocessed red meat a day — roughly the size of a small steak — was associated with a 10 per cent higher risk of the disease.
“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,” Forouhi stated.
According to the researchers, the InterConnect data enabled the team to more effectively account for various factors, such as lifestyle and health behaviours, that could influence the relationship between meat consumption and diabetes.
Prof Nick Wareham, director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge and a senior author on the paper, explained to The Guardian that this new analysis reviewed data from individual participants in each study to “provide more concrete evidence of the link between consumption of different types of meat and type 2 diabetes than was previously possible”.
The paper also spoke to other experts not involved in the research, who noted that while the study demonstrates an association rather than causation, its findings are consistent with existing healthy eating guidelines.
Prof Naveed Sattar from the University of Glasgow commented, “This is an important study which, despite the inevitable observational nature of the evidence, is very well done. The data suggest cutting red and processed meats from diets may not only protect people from heart disease and stroke but also from type 2 diabetes, a disease on the rise worldwide.”
Dr Duane Mellor from Aston University added that the recommendation to moderate meat intake aligns with broader advice to reduce type 2 diabetes risk. He emphasised the importance of a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, peas, and lentils, along with regular physical activity, to further reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
