Red Meat Consumption Linked to Type 2 Diabetes

A recent study conducted by Harvard University found a strong correlation between red meat consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. During research, scientists reviewed the red meat intake of 149,000 health professionals over two decades, and the results—which were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine—show that eating an additional 1.5 ounces of the read meat daily increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 48 percent. The risk factor was greatest for those who consumed processed meats such as hotdogs and bacon. “The public-health message [of the study] is to try to limit red-meat consumption (particularly processed red meat) and switch to plant-based food choices,” wrote the study’s lead author An Pan in an email to Medscape Medical News.