Having just returned from a beautiful trip to South Korea after speaking at an international conference on diabetes, these headlines caught my eye. I’m pretty sure I ate red meat at least three or four times that week.

November is National Diabetes Month, so this study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is quite timely.

Compared to individuals who eat less red meat, people who consume just two servings of red meat per week have an increased risk of getting type 2 diabetes. The good news is that swapping red meat with plant-based proteins like nuts and beans as well as a few dairy products was linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

According to author Xiao Gu, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition, "Our findings strongly support dietary guidelines that recommend limiting the consumption of red meat, and this applies to both processed and unprocessed red meat," The study was published Oct. 19th in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Previous research discovered a connection between red meat intake and type 2 diabetes but this study evaluated an even larger number of cases of type 2 diabetes in subjects who were tracked for a longer period of time. This adds to a higher level of certainty to the connection.

Rates of type 2 diabetes are quickly increasing in the US and globally. Diabetes is not only a serious health burden but also a big risk factor for heart and kidney disease, dementia, and cancer.

A Closer Look at the Numbers

Health data from 216,695 participants from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), NHS II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) was evaluated. Diet was analyzed with food frequency questionnaires every two to four years, up to 36 years. Within this time frame, over 22,000 subjects developed type 2 diabetes.

Intake of red meat, including processed and unprocessed lunch meat (such as bacon, sausage, and luncheon meats) was strongly linked with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Subjects who ate the most red meat had a 62% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who consumed the least amount of red meat. For every additional serving of processed meat, a 46% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes was found. Every extra daily serving of unprocessed red meat was linked with a 24% higher risk.

The possible impact of substituting one serving of red meat with another protein source was also evaluated. Researchers found that swapping a serving of nuts or beans for red meat was linked with a 30% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Having a serving of dairy products in place of red meat was associated with a 22% lower risk.

Thoughts from the Researchers

Senior author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, said, "Given our findings and previous work by others, a limit of about one serving per week of red meat would be reasonable for people wishing to optimize their health and wellbeing,"

Having healthy plant-based proteins in place of red meat would also help the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, state the researchers.

In addition to health benefits, swapping red meat for healthy plant protein sources would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, and provide other environmental benefits, according to the researchers.

Tips to Reduce Your Type 2 Diabetes

Like other chronic conditions, type 2 diabetes is preventable through lifestyle changes. It’s important to know your risk. Do you have family members with diabetes or pre-diabetes? Did you have gestational diabetes during pregnancy? Both of these raise your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Below are some tips to reduce your risk.

1.    Know your numbers. Ask your healthcare provider to check your fasting glucose as well as your HbA1c at your annual physical. An HbA1c measures what your blood sugar has been over a 3-month time frame and is a better indicator of blood sugar trends than a random fasting sugar.

2.    Enjoy red meat in moderation. The study doesn’t say you have to cut red meat out completely. But, reducing processed red meat likely has the most impact on cutting your risk for type 2 diabetes. Limit red and processed meat intake to once per week if possible.

3.    Start with meatless Monday. If you’re eating animal protein of any kind most days of the week, start with swapping it out on Mondays with beans or lentils. These can be seasoned in a number of different ways and are an inexpensive source of protein.

4.    Lose some weight if overweight or obese. Dropping just five to seven percent of body weight improves insulin sensitivity and may lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

5.    Get moving. Walking briskly for 15 minutes after meals has been found to lower post-prandial (after meal) blood sugar. Take your dog for a walk or walk with a friend or family member.

6.    Avoid sugary drinks. Consuming sugary beverages has been linked with the development of type 2 diabetes. Sweetened drinks are also linked with weight gain and increased risk for heart disease. Kick the can or try flavored seltzer water if you want some bubbly.

7.    Reduce overall sugar intake. A slice of birthday cake won’t make or break your diet but consuming sugary foods every day can add up. Swap out sweets with fresh or frozen fruit.

8.    Eat the carbs in your meal, last. A research study found that eating bread, rice, potatoes, or other carbs at the end of your meal may reduce post-prandial blood sugar.

9.    Consider intermittent fasting. This is a method of limiting the number of hours you are allowed to eat so that your body uses calories in storage for energy. This lowers insulin levels and has been linked with improved blood sugar.

10.  Include dairy products when possible. Dairy products provide B vitamins, calcium, vitamins A and D, and protein to your diet and have beneficial effects on blood sugar as well as blood pressure (as part of the DASH diet).

Reference:

1. Xiao Gu, Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, Frank M. Sacks, Frank B. Hu, Bernard Rosner, Walter C. Willett. Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2023; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.021