Red Meat and Type 2 Diabetes

 

 The bacon you had for breakfast or the deli meat you eat at lunch could increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes according to new research.

  A major study out of the U.S. indicates that two slices of bacon, a hot dog or a serving of deli meat per day can significantly raise the risk of a person getting the disease.  How much?  Experts at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found people who ate 3.5 ounces of unprocessed red meat a day like hamburger or steak had a 20% higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes.  Those who ate half as much processed red meat a day (two pieces of bacon or a hot dog) increased their type 2 diabetes risk by about 50 percent.

 The study shows the risk dropped when the red meat was replaced with nuts, white meat, low-fat dairy or whole grain foods.  The author of the study Frank Hu says, "The good news is that such troubling risk factors can be offset by swapping red meat for a healthier protein."

  Type 2 diabetes affects more than 25 million people in the U.S., 7 million of whom don't know they have the condition.  The chronic disease which involves elevated blood sugar levels is often brought on by being overweight, not exercising enough and having an unhealthy diet.