Eating red meat more than once a week linked to diabetes: Study

Study: Two servings of red meat per week increased type 2 diabetes risk
Harvard researchers studied 216,695 people, mostly women
Shift to plant-based protein may help prevent diabetes

Updated: Oct 22, 2023 / 10:36 PM CDT

Steaks and other beef products are displayed for sale at a grocery store in McLean, Va. Republicans are increasingly using food — especially beef — as a cudgel in the culture war. In statements, tweets and fundraising emails, prominent GOP governors and senators have accused climate-minded Democrats of trying to push Americans to eat less red meat. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

(NewsNation) — Having just two servings of red meat per week increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“The association between red meat and type 2 diabetes has been observed in different populations worldwide,” said the study’s first author Xiao Gu, a postdoctoral research fellow of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The Harvard researchers looked at 216,695 people with most of them being women. They collected information about how much red meat they ate using surveys that asked them about their diet every 2 to 4 years.

“We keep strengthening existing evidence with improved data and techniques. I hope our study could settle the debate regarding whether we should limit red meat intake for health concerns or not,” Gu said.

The research backs up the advice to eat less red meat, as suggested by current dietary guidelines. It also highlights the significance of choosing other sources of protein to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Substituting red meat with plant-based protein options like nuts and legumes could lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This dietary shift can contribute to curbing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change, as experts from Harvard University suggest.

Type 2 diabetes is among the rapidly expanding global health concerns, with its prevalence increasing significantly worldwide over the past thirty years, according to the World Health Organization.