A new study has found a link between Type 2 diabetes and the types of meat found in patients’ diets.
The study, published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, reveals that having red and processed meats as a regular part of one’s diet can lead to great risk of developing the condition.
Type 2 diabetes appears when blood sugar is consistently at too high of a level and is a chronic disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Unchecked Type 2 diabetes can result in heart disease, kidney disease and strokes.
Researched processed data from 20 different countries, and the study encompassed nearly 2 million people.
Study author Dr. Nita Forouhi told CNN that it was the most comprehensive study to date that showed the link between Type 2 diabetes and those types of meats.
And while a direct link couldn’t be ascertained, Forouhi called the findings “consistent across populations in different world regions and countries.”
Forouhi added that the study accounted for “diet quality, physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, energy intake and body mass index that could impact the results and that may otherwise exaggerate or mask the relationship of meat and type 2 diabetes.”
However, in a news release, Dr. Duane Mellor of the British Dietetic Association, who was not part of the study’s research team, offered a qualifier upon studying the report, saying it did not account for other factors like family history, insulin resistance and waist circumference.
“It is possible that the increased risk associated with processed and red meat intake could be a result of these other confounding factors,” Mellor wrote.