Red Meat Increases Risk of Diabetes

Two slices of steak, hot dogs or beef dishes in a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Similarly, findings by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health. For this study is the largest of its kind to date and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Eating 50 grams of processed red meat every day increases a person's risk of diabetes by 51 percent, while eating 100 grams of processed red meat every day, with the size of a deck of cards, increasing the risk by 19 percent.

However, the risk is lower if the replaced red meat with nuts, white meat, low-fat milk, or wheat protein.

"Clearly, the results of this study has major public health implications given consumption increased epidemic of type 2 diabetes and an increase in red meat around the world," said senior author Frank Hu.

"The good news is that risk factors can be offset by swapping the red meat with a healthy protein."

Data for this research came from questionnaire responses from more than 204,000 people in the U.S. study of nurses and healthcare professionals. Subjects were observed between the ages of 14 and 28 years.

The researchers also updated meta-analysis that included their data with other studies that included more than 442,000 participants.

Diabetes affects nearly 350 million adults worldwide and more than 11 percent of adults over the age of 20 - or 25.6 million people.

Type 2 diabetes is often caused by obesity, lack of exercise, and unhealthy eating habits.