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Writer's pictureHealing_ Passion

Considering These Concerns Before Blaming Meat for Diabetes

A recent global meta-analysis links red and processed meat consumption to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but before drawing conclusions, let's take a closer look.

Key Concerns:


  • The study relies on self-reported food frequency data, which is prone to inaccuracies like recall bias. Inaccurate data input can lead to unreliable output, raising questions about the validity of the findings.

  • Carbohydrates, not protein, are the primary drivers of insulin resistance, yet the study doesn't analyze carb intake. Ignoring this key factor might distort the results.

  • Interestingly, the study found that replacing processed meat with unprocessed meat lowers diabetes risk, but this critical finding isn't highlighted.

  • The mechanisms linking red and processed meat to diabetes are unclear and indirect compared to the well-established impact of refined carbs on blood sugar and insulin.


Should we be rethinking the conclusions? More research is needed that takes a holistic view of diet, including carbohydrates and overall dietary patterns, before revising our dietary guidelines.

 

Li, C., et al (2024). "Meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: an individual-participant federated meta-analysis of 1·97 million adults with 100 000 incident cases from 31 cohorts in 20 countries." The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 12(9): 619-630.

 



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