Consuming red meat is related to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to an analysis of more than 19 lakh adults from 20 countries across world regions, including southeast Asia, providing the "most comprehensive evidence to date."
According to a study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, regular intake of three different types of meat in specific daily amounts - 50 grams of processed meat, 100 grams of unprocessed red meat, and 100 grams of poultry - was associated with a 15% increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes for processed meat, a 10% increase for unprocessed red meat, and an 8% increase for poultry.
The group of researchers from several countries, including the US, UK, Brazil, and Mexico, highlighted that in numerous parts of the world, people are consuming more meat than the recommended levels, which has been linked to non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
However, they said all the existing evidence is largely based on studies from high-income countries, mainly in North America and Europe.
The study involved 31 cohorts from the InterConnect project, gathering data from various scientific studies and online registries, including unpublished information. Out of the total 19,66,444 participants, over 100,000 individuals developed type 2 diabetes during the average 10-year follow-up period.
"The positive associations of unprocessed red meat and processed meat with incident type 2 diabetes were significant in the region of the Americas (13 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively), in the European region (six per cent and 13 per cent), and in the Western Pacific region and east Asia (17 per cent and 15 per cent)," the authors wrote.
They calculated that substituting 50 grams of processed meat with 100 grams of unprocessed red meat reduced the average risk of type 2 diabetes by seven percent. Additionally, replacing 50 grams of processed meat with 100 grams of poultry daily was linked to a 10 percent decrease in the risk of diabetes.
The researchers, however, found no evidence that replacing unprocessed red meat with poultry helped in cutting down diabetes risk.
(with PTI inputs)
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