Consuming Red Meat and Poultry in High Amounts Tied to Diabetes

It is well known that Consuming red meat on a regular basis is bad for health; it raises the risk of developing obesity, heart disease and stroke. Doctors always warn us about the dangers of consuming red meat in high amounts.

Now, a study from Singapore suggests, consuming red meat or meat from poultry may be linked with higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a population study from Singapore. The study also says that higher levels of consumption is tied to higher risk of developing the disease.

This is one of the largesttrials to investigate the link between meat consumption and risk of diabetes in Asian populations.

Type2 diabetes is a chronic condition which arises when the body doesn’t use insulin properly or it doesn’t produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that lets our body to use sugar for energy or store it for future use. Insulin controls our bloodsugar levels and keeps it from getting too high.

Common risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes are obesity, lack of exercise, family history and sedentary lifestyle.

In recent years, many studies revealed that plant-baseddiets, rather than diets consisting of high amount of meat, are healthier.  

Several existing studies have associated meat consumption with an increased risk of developing diabetes. 

This new study from the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore backs previous findings and tries to explain why consuming red meat or even poultry in higher amounts increases an individual’s chances of developing diabetes. [Read more BellyFat May Cause Cognitive Impairment]

The study was led by Woon-Puay Koh, a Duke-NUS professor of clinical sciences.

Prof. Koh and her team assessed the connection between meat, poultry, fish, shellfish consumption and developing type 2 diabetes, taking into consideration the effect of heme iron. Heme iron is the iron found in meat that we consume. 

The team analyzed data of 63,257 adults aged 45-74, who were recruited between 1993 and 1998. The participants were part of the Singapore Chinese Health Study. They were followed-up through two interviews: one was taken between 1999 to 2004, and the other one taken between 2006 to 2010.

The researchers discovered that people who consumed higher amount of red meat or poultry had an increased risk of developing diabetes. However, fish and shellfish consumption did not pose any risk.

Adults who ate the highest amount of red meat had a 23% higher risk of diabetes compared to those who ate less red meat. In the case of poultry consumption, researchers found that higher amount of poultry consumption was associated with a 15% increase in diabetes risk.

The increased risk, however, was lowered when meat was replaced with fish or shellfish.

In this setting, the team also examined the effect of heme iron on the link between meat consumption and diabetes. They discovered that a higher amount of heme iron intake was linked with an increased risk of developing diabetes. [Read more High-fatdiet damages brain, affecting learning and memory]

Next, the team tried to figure out whether or not adjusting for the heme iron in the participants’ diets would impact the risk in any way. They found that the link between red meat intake and diabetes risk remained statistically significant, while the link between poultry intake disappeared.

While her study was targeted at the dietary habits of Singaporeans, the results are relevant on a worldwide level; they back past research on the impact of high meat intake on our health.

The research was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.