Processed and red meat ‘causing type 2 diabetes’

Eating just two slices of ham a day raises the risk of type 2 Diabetes by 15%, University of Cambridge researchers found.

In what Europe’s €330bn meat industry will view as another attack on the sector, the report highlighted over 500m people globally are affected by type 2 diabetes, with the figure predicted to rise to 1bn by 2050.

Researchers carried out meta-analysis on near 1.97m people across 20 European countries, the Americas, as well as the Mediterranean, south-east Asia and the western Pacific. The results, published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Journal​, concluded processed and red meat consumption should be limited.

“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,” said Professor Nita Forouhi, at the University of Cambridge. “It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population.”

How does processed meat cause diabetes?

Data analysed from 31 study groups through EU-funded type 2 diabetes project, InterConnect, found daily consumption of 50g of processed meat – approximately two slices of ham – was associated with a 15% higher risk of type 2 diabetes over a 10-year period.

Three main exposure variables were determined by calculating total consumption levels of unprocessed red meat, processed meat and poultry. Two definitions for type 2 diabetes were used – one as the primary outcome and one as the secondary outcome.

More work on poultry consumption was needed, but the research did associate an 8% higher risk of type 2 diabetes from 100g daily consumption. “The link between poultry [and type 2 diabetes] remains uncertain and needs to be investigated further,” Forouhi added.

As a result, researchers recommended poultry could be a healthier alternative to unprocessed red and processed meat, but aimed to address the hypothesis.

However, the study did find a geographical imbalance as most studies analysed were from USA and European populations, with few from Asia and other areas “underscoring the need for evaluation in diverse populations”, researchers said.

Reduced type 2 diabetes risk from poultry

Meat industry representatives criticised the report. head of nutrition and health for Britain's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Kate Arthur told FoodNavigator the study highlighted potential associated with consuming more than 100g of red meat per day and over 50g of processed meat a day. "This reinforces the government’s recommendation, aligned with the Eatwell Guide. This recommends a maximum of 500g/week or 70g/day (cooked weight) of red and processed meat," she said. 

Those consuming over 90g of processed and red meat daily should seek to reduce levels to 70g or under, Arthur continued and highlighted most UK adults eat, on average, less than 70g per day of red meat and processed meat a day.

A spokesperson from the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said it believed everyone had the right to choose whether or not to eat meat. "However, that choice should be based on reliable information and sound science. All too often, this is not the case. It is instructive to compare the caveats contained in the study, with the confidently reported health scare claims in the media. The two paint different pictures, which only serves to confuse consumers and make healthy choices more difficult."

The spokesperson highlighted the Cambridge study's own admission that "the underlying mechanisms that link meat intake with the development of type 2 diabetes are not fully established". Adding the trials were only able to assess short-term effects of meat consumption on on glycaemic traits rather than long-term effects on disease risk.

Source: The Lancet, Diabetes & Endocrinology
Published on: 21 August 2024
DOI: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(24)00179-7/fulltext
Authors: Chunxiao Li PhD. Tom R P Bishop, ME. Fumiaki Imamura, PhD. Stephen J Sharp, MSc. Matthew Pearce, PhD. Soren Brage, PhD.