Red meat intake, particularly processed red meat, is linked to a risk for type 2 diabetes, according to the results of an updated meta-analysis of 3 large US cohorts reported online August 10 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

-Team@CMHF

• Consumption of high-fat dairy products was associated with a higher risk for incident coronary heart disease, but low-fat dairy products reduced this risk.
• Higher consumption of fish, poultry, and nuts also reduced the risk for coronary heart disease, with fish and nuts having the most profound effects.
• Evaluation of the association between unprocessed and processed red meat consumption and incident T2D in US adults.
• The study cohorts consisted of 37,083 male participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study from 1986 to 2006, 79,570 female participants in the Nurses’ Health Study I from 1980 to 2008, and 87,504 female participants in the Nurses’ Health Study II from 1991 to 2005.
• Validated food frequency questionnaires were used to measure dietary intake, and data were updated every 4 years.
• Results suggest that red meat consumption, particularly processed red meat, is associated with an increased risk of T2D
• It was estimated that substitutions of one serving of nuts, low-fat dairy and whole grains per day for one serving of red meat per day were associated with a 16–35% lower risk of T2D.

Limitations

1. Study populations primarily consisting of working health professionals with European ancestry
2. Limited generalizability to other populations
3. Possible error in measurement of meat intake
4. Observational design, precluding determination of causation because of possible unmeasured and residual confounding.
• From a public health point of view, reduction of red meat consumption, particularly processed red meat, and replacement of it with other healthy dietary components, should be considered to decrease T2D risk

For further reading log on to:

http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/748008?src=cmemp