Eating too much red meat may increase your risk of diabetes. Animal protein, fat and iron are associated with oxidative stress and insulin resistance, both hallmarks of the disease. That doesn't mean you can't eat any red meat if you have diabetes. Rather, it means to eat it in moderation and always go for lean versions of the meat you eat.
Meat and Diabetes
Red meat is not off-limits to diabetics, but experts at Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center want you to limit your consumption. The concerns are twofold. Red meats, including processed meats, can contain high amounts of saturated fat. Saturated fat is part of the recipe your liver uses to create the cholesterol circulating through your blood vessels. Too much cholesterol exacerbates your risk of coronary heart disease. In addition, in its 2008 Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends the DASH diet, which was created to help people lower their risk of high blood pressure, which in diabetics causes serious complications. The DASH diet calls for reduced red meat consumption. On the other hand, diabetics have protein needs like everyone else, and meat has its role in fulfilling those needs. Moreover, meats don't impact your blood sugar levels like other foods. Joslin recommends that you have no more than 4 oz. of lean red meat, three times per week.
Low-carb Conundrum
Because of the known risks of carbohydrates to influence your blood sugar, you may be tempted to think that diets that favor meat and high protein and low carbohydrate intake may reduce your risk of diabetes. You might be wrong. Indiscriminately cutting your carbs for protein may have unintended consequences. Two landmark studies following thousands of women and men determined that high meat intake is associated with greater type 2 diabetes risk. Harvard researchers publishing in the April 2011 "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" followed 41,140 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, with data spanning 20 years. Close to 3,000 of those men developed diabetes, and the authors said a composite score representing their animal protein and fat intake was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes. They predicated their study on earlier research that examined 37,309 women over close to nine years. Published in the September 2004 "Diabetes Care," the study was conducted by another group of Harvard researchers and found essentially the same thing -- that red meat increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women.
Variables in the Red Meat--Diabetes Risk Link
The authors of the men's study theorized that red meat and its high iron content may encourage oxidative stress. This condition is highly featured in diabetes and is believed to result from high blood sugar causing the overproduction of free radicals. An accumulation of iron is thought to precipitate oxidative stress. In addition, the beta cells of your pancreas, which produce insulin, are highly sensitive to oxidative stress. The authors believe the red meat then causes a beta cell dysfunction. The women's study authors said iron overload promotes insulin resistance. Both research groups also believe sodium nitrate, a preservative added to processed meats, also plays a role in the link between meat and diabetes.
The Takeaway
Neither group could say red meat causes diabetes. Other variables, such as other ingredients in red meat or the lifestyles of the people in the study, may also help explain the increased diabetes risk. The bottom line is that a sensible diet, getting all of the nutrients you need from a variety of sources is healthful. For example, you may get your protein needs met from chicken and fish, as well as beans, nuts and seeds. Moreover, regardless of the content of your diet, your intake of saturated fat should never exceed 7 percent of your total calories, according to the American Diabetes Association.
References
- Joslin Diabetes Center: Healthy Cooking Techniques and Diabetes
- "Diabetes Care"; Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association; January 2008
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Low-carbohydrate Diet Scores and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men; Lawrence de Koning et al.; April 2011
- "Diabetes Care"; A Prospective Study of Red Meat Consumption and Type 2 Diabetes in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women The Women's Health Study; Yiqing Song et al.; December 2004
- American Diabetes Association: Fat and Diabetes
- "Circulation"; Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Incident Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes Mellitus; Renata Micha et al.; 2010
