The study analyzed 200,000 volunteers and concluded that it produced a 26% increase.
While type 1 diabetes is usually caused by an autoimmune disease, type 2 diabetes is often linked to different lifestyle factors, such as a high-sugar diet, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, being overweight, etc. Thus, most people who want to avoid type 2 diabetes are told to avoid sugar at all costs. However, there is one food that, according to Harvard experts, should also be eliminated from our diet, even though it contains no sugar, is not processed, and comes from an animal.
A recent study, published in Nature and led by Frank Hu , claims that eating red meat may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes . More specifically , eating about 70 grams of beef every day, roughly equivalent to a hamburger, is associated with a 26% higher risk of being diagnosed.
The condition causes problems with sugar processing and energy regulation . If left untreated, diabetes can cause serious problems such as nerve damage, heart disease, and stroke.
The authors note that to reach this conclusion, they took into account all other dietary and lifestyle factors when analyzing 204,615 volunteers over 36 years. And the problem may have to do with heme iron , a type of iron found in red meat, fish, and shellfish, and is the most easily assimilated by the human body. This is a type of iron that comes from hemoglobin, the chemical found in the blood that helps the body mobilize oxygen. Most animal products contain it, but at varying levels.
Hu’s team suggests that heme iron causes inflammation in the body, making it less responsive to insulin , a hormone that controls blood sugar, and together, these two factors could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. When the body becomes resistant to insulin, it stops processing blood sugar effectively, which can cause it to build up in the bloodstream and develop into diabetes. Inflammation can also cause diabetes by putting strain on the pancreas or other digestive organs, making it harder for the body to process sugar.
These findings suggest that eating a plant-based diet could help protect against developing diabetes. Animal meat has increasingly been singled out as a contributing factor to a number of health problems, including cancer , despite the fact that it is rich in protein and nutrients such as vitamin B. In fact, experts recommend that if we are going to follow a vegetarian diet, we should make sure we are getting enough protein and iron through other sources.
This is crucial considering how common type 2 diabetes is globally. According to data from the Spanish Diabetes Society, one in ten adults worldwide is currently living with diabetes . The total number is expected to increase by 11% in 2030 and reach nearly 800 million in 2045. Meanwhile, in Spain there are about 5.1 million adults living with diabetes, an increase of 42% since 2019. And a figure that places us in second place in Europe.
In this case, the researchers classified the 204,600 participants into five groups based on their intake of iron from animals, plants and supplements. They also controlled for factors such as race, body weight, exercise, sugar intake, fat intake, smoking, blood pressure, family history and more.
“Therefore, the results are unlikely to be influenced by other dietary choices ,” adds Fenglei Wang, co-author of the study. “ We are not yet sure what could explain the link between heme iron and type 2 diabetes. But people who consume a lot of heme iron also show signs of insulin resistance and inflammation in their blood.”
Source: The reason
Original Source: Nature
Author: Juan Scaliter
Date: Created: 23.08.2024 18:17
Last updated: 23.08.2024 18:17
