Red-Meat Increase May Raise Diabetes Risk

People who eat more red meat may also increase their risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers focused on 3 large studies of health professionals. They included 149,000 people who answered questions about their diet every 4 years. Researchers kept track of them for 12 to 16 years. People who increased the amount of red meat they ate had a 48% increased risk of developing diabetes in a 4-year period. This was seen in people who ate as little as half a serving extra, or 1.5 ounces. People who decreased red meat in their diets had a 14% lower risk of diabetes than those with no change in meat eating. People who ate more red meat also tended to gain more weight. Researchers said this explained some but not all of their increase in diabetes risk. Some experts interviewed by USA Today and HealthDay News questioned the focus on red meat. They said that the amount of saturated fat may be more important. The study shows a link between more red meat and more diabetes. It does not prove that one causes the other. The journal JAMA Internal Medicine published the study online June 17.

By Lori Wiviott Tishler, M.D.
Harvard Medical School

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

Doctors and patients widely recognize that there is an epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States. In fact, according to recent reports, 8% of the U.S. population has diabetes. For adults over 65, that rises to nearly 27%.

If you're reading this news review in a public place, look around you. You'll be looking at several people with diabetes! To this end, it is so important to help decrease the risk of diabetes among our population.

A researcher at the University of Singapore conducted today's study. An Pan, Ph.D., looked at the development of type 2 diabetes in almost 150,000 people. He used three large and well-designed U.S. studies to find out how many people developed diabetes and compare this with their consumption of red meat.

Red meats include beef, pork and lamb. They are dark before you cook them. The study looked at how much red meat people ate and then kept track of their diet and their health for up to 16 years.

The results showed that people who increased their intake of red meat had an increased risk of developing diabetes. People who ate more than half a serving extra per day had a 48% greater risk of developing diabetes than people who did not eat more red meat. People who decreased the amount of red meat they ate also decreased their risk of diabetes, by 14%.

The journal JAMA Internal Medicine published the study. A commentary in the same journal notes that study results confirm previous research about the link between red meat and type 2 diabetes. It adds that the connection may be more related to the types of fat in the meat than to the type of meat itself. The writer suggests that public health messages should be directed at eating less saturated fat, rather than avoiding certain types of meat.

As a doctor, I can see the attraction in telling people to eat less red meat. It's an easy thing to tell people that can make a difference.

Still, it is important to remember that type 2 diabetes is a complicated disease. It is most clearly related to obesity. So eating less red meat, less saturated fat and fewer calories are all helpful messages. Anything we can do to help ourselves eat better will make a difference to our personal and public health.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

Based on this article, don't increase the amount of red meat you eat!

You also can make many changes that will decrease your risk of developing diabetes. Not surprisingly, most of them have to do with diet and exercise.

• Learn what your risk is. You can start with this American Diabetes Association test.
• Increase your activity. People who are inactive have a 30% increased risk of diabetes. You don't have to run a marathon. Just get out and move!
• Increase your veggies and lean proteins.
• Decrease your saturated fats and overall calories.
• If you are a woman who had diabetes during pregnancy, you are at higher risk of developing diabetes later in life. Discuss this with your doctor.

If you already have diabetes, the suggestions above will also help you. Make sure you take your medicines and learn as much as you can about living with diabetes. People who take charge of their diabetes are much more successful at living with it than those who ignore it.

What Can I Expect Looking to the Future?

We will no doubt benefit from excellent research to help us learn how to lower our risk of diabetes. But I also hope that we will spend resources developing programs to help people change behaviors. It's hard to do, but makes an incredible difference to our health.