Increasing your consumption of red meat is associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study released today. But leading experts caution not to demonize all red meat, and that the connection the study observed may be due to weight gain and saturated fat—not all types of red meat.
The research, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, followed nearly 150,000 people who did not have diabetes at the start of the study for 12 to 16 years. The participants filled out surveys every 4 years about their eating habits.
The results: In a given 4-year period, people who increased their red meat intake by more than half of a serving per day had a 48% greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people who didn’t change their red meat intake.
Cutting red meat consumption was also associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, though it took more time to become apparent. When people decreased their red meat intake by half a serving per day, they didn’t experience any drop in risk during a 4-year period. However, when researchers looked at the data spanning 12 or more years, participants who cut their red meat intake experienced a 14% decrease in diabetes risk. It’s important to note that this group also was more likely to report a heart-related diagnosis and a higher body-mass index (BMI)—in other words, they may have been decreasing their intake because they were already having health issues.
More from Prevention: 12 Ways To Never Get Diabetes
But is all red meat to blame? “It’s not the redness of the meat that actually imparts whatever the detrimental affects are, it’s the amount of saturated fat that we consume,” says William Evans, PhD, of Duke University, who wrote an invited commentary in JAMA responding to the study. “The designation of ‘red meat’ is not particularly helpful because some cuts of red meat—such as sirloin or beef tips—are relatively low in saturated fat, whereas foods like cheddar cheese are high in saturated fat.”
When fat cells fill up with saturated fat, Evans explains, they secrete inflammatory proteins. “We know that inflammation increases the risk of diabetes,” he says. In laboratory studies, for example, rodents have developed signs of diabetes after only three or four days of a diet that’s extremely high in saturated fat. “It’s a very rapid, almost immediate effect.”
Furthermore, the study found that people who increased their red meat intake also tended to gain weight. When researchers adjusted for this—meaning, they tried to statistically nix out any effect of weight gain and focus on red meat only—the risk for developing diabetes dropped. The adjusted risk: About 30% over 4 years, for people who increased consumption by half a serving per week.
“The issue with an increase in saturated fat in your diet is that there tends to be an increase in body weight,” says Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and author of Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum’s Heart Book. “The reason for the correlation is not necessarily from how you metabolize fats.”
More from Prevention: 30-Minute Dinners for Diabetics
“What we have to understand,” Steinbaum continues, “is that a diet high in carbohydrates and simple sugars is the most unhealthy for a diabetic.” This type of diet can also contribute to diabetes, Steinbaum explains, because your insulin levels skyrocket when you eat a lot of carbohydrates or sugars at one time. Over time, your body becomes resistant to insulin, and has to pump out more and more in order to control your blood sugar. When your body becomes so resistant to insulin that you can’t control your blood sugar, you develop type 2 diabetes.
If you’re concerned about diabetes, the most important things you can do are to be physically active and maintain a healthy weight, Evans says. When it comes to red meat, choose cuts of meat that are low in saturated fat, he adds. You don’t need to cut out red meat entirely, since it’s high in protein and also contains the most bioavailable form of iron.