Lancet study links processed red meat to diabetes

DOES eating red and processed meat raise the risk of diabetes? A latest Lancet study of nearly 2 million people from 20 different countries has found a direct link between consuming red and processed meats such as steak, bacon and sausages and type 2 diabetes.

- KAVITA BAJELI-DATT

The study, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, involving data from over 1.9 million adults, found that the habitual consumption of 50 grams of processed meat a day-equivalent to 2 slices of ham is associated with a 15% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years.

The consumption of 100 grams of unprocessed red meat a day steak equivalent to a small held 10% higher risk of type2 diabetes.