Processed and Red Meats Double Diabetes Risks

Red Meats Dramatically Increase Risk of Diabetes Development

Health-minded adults have been wary of excessive red meat consumption and most avoid any type of processed meats due to the highly carcinogenic nitrite content. Additives used to add taste, cure and prolong shelf life of classic foods such as hot dogs, bologna and sausage not only cause cancer but are now shown to more than double the risk of developing diabetes.

Publishing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that a 50 gram daily serving of processed meat (equivalent to one hot dog or two strips of bacon) was associated with doubled risk of developing diabetes. They also found that protein from other sources such as nuts, seeds and whole grains will have the reverse effect.

Red and Processed Meats Shown to Double Diabetes Risk Factor

Processed Meats More Than Double Diabetes Incidence

Researchers followed 37,083 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, 79,570 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, and 87,504 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Diet was assessed by validated food-frequency questionnaires, and data were updated every four years. Type II diabetes diagnosis was confirmed by a validated supplementary questionnaire. In addition the study included data from a total cohort of more than 442,000 participants to make this the largest study to examine the effect of specific food types on diabetes development and progression.

After all collected data was analyzed with adjustments for age, body mass index (BMI), and other lifestyle and dietary risk factors, researchers found that consumption of 100 grams of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) increased the risk of developing Type II diabetes by 19%. A diet that included only half that amount of processed meats was associated with a 51% increase in diabetes incidence.

Substituting Healthy Proteins from Nuts and Seeds Lowers Diabetes Risk

Substituting Nuts and Seeds For Red Meats Lowers Diabetes Risk

Most health professionals believe that diabetes risk is linked to increased intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars. While this may be true, it is important to understand that red and processed meats play a significant role in development of the metabolic disorder, likely due to the increased digestive load placed on the pancreas.

Study authors also found that troubling risk factors can be neutralized or even reversed by substituting healthy protein from nuts, seeds, fish and beans for red and processed meats. Senior research author Dr. An Pan found that “for an individual who eats one daily serving of red meat, substituting one serving of nuts per day was associated with a 21% lower risk of type 2 diabetes; substituting low-fat dairy, a 17% lower risk; and substituting whole grains, a 23% lower risk.”

Many health-minded individuals already limit consumption of red and processed meats. The conclusion of this meta-study drives home the importance of severely restricting red meat and totally eliminating processed meats in favor of healthy proteins to lower diabetes risk factors.

Red Meat Boosts Digestive Cancer Risk

(Article first published as Eating Red Meat Increases Digestive Cancer Risk by Eighty Percent on Technorati.)

Red Meat Shown to Increase Digestive Cancer Risk

Many researchers have made the connection between red meat consumption and a variety of different digestive cancers. The results of a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology makes a clear link between red meat consumption and esophageal (esophageal squamous cell carcinoma) and stomach cancer (gastric cardia cancer) lines. The study focuses on a type of compound known as DiMelQx that is formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures.

Red Meat Cooked at High Temperatures or Charbroiled Implicated in Increased Cancer Risk

Cooking Meat Produces Heterocyclic Amine, a Known Carcinogen

Red meat and cooking have been the focus of numerous investigative studies. Researchers have discovered that cooking meats at high temperatures generates heterocyclic amines (HCA`s) as well as N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These compounds have been shown to cause colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers through several biochemical mechanisms. Unbound iron in red meat has also been shown to promote cancer development.

Study Makes Direct Link to Dramatic Rise in Cancer Risk

Investigators from the National Cancer Institute tracked the health of nearly 500,000 Americans aged 50 to 71 for a period of 10 years. The study examined nutritional habits including meat consumption and preparation as well as smoking, exercise and body weight. Those participants who ate the most meat were 79% more likely to develop esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to those who ate the least meat.

Cooking Byproducts Multiply Cancer Risk

When meat is cooked at high temperatures using methods such as grilling, frying or searing, fats at the surface of the meat are chemically altered to become mutagenic compounds known as HCA`s and DiMelQx. The study authors concluded “We found positive associations between red meat intake and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and between DiMeIQx intake and gastric cardia cancer.”

Protecting Yourself From Stomach Cancer

Frying Meats Directly Linked to Esophageal Cancer in Study

Stomach cancer will be diagnosed in 21,000 men and women annually with nearly 11,000 deaths as a result. The natural alternative would be to eat a Mediterranean style diet focused on fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, fish and healthy monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Vegetables are best eaten raw or lightly steamed to avoid the byproducts of overcooking. Choose limited quantities of white meat that have been roasted (with skin removed) to avoid excess iron and charring.

Stomach and esophageal cancers are yet another example of preventable disease. These cancers occur largely as a result of food choices and cooking methods. Eliminate most meat from your diet and include plenty of raw vegetables and fruits to lead a healthy life free from cancer risk.