How to Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes

Research increasingly shows that meat can dramatically raise your chances of diabetes.Eating too much sugar and fat increases your risk of getting type 2 diabetes as we already know.


Your body needs protein. But if you have diabetes or a risk of diabetes it’s wise to cut back on your meat intake to improve your health.

Research on meat and diabetes.

A recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the deaths of nearly 700,000 people in 2012 from heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

They found that nearly 50 percent of the deaths were related to poor nutritional choices. For people who already had diabetes, their risk of death increased if they consumed more processed meats.

Another study released this year from researchers in Finland analyzed the diets of more than 2,300 middle-aged men, ages 42 to 60. At the outset, none of the participants had type 2 diabetes. In the follow-up, after 19 years 432 participants did.

Researchers found that those who ate more animal protein and less plant protein had a 35 percent greater risk of getting diabetes.
This included any kind of meat — processed and unprocessed red *meat,
*white meats
*variety meats, which include organ meats such as tongue,intestine, liver etc.

The study concluded that choosing plant and egg proteins may help prevent type 2 diabetes.

And a final study out of Harvard University found that people who ate a single serving of red meat each day had a 19 percent higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes than those who didn’t. An even smaller-sized serving of processed red meat, such as one hot dog or two slices of bacon, increased the risk to 51 percent.

This study concluded that choosing whole grains, nuts, low-fat dairy, fish and poultry instead of red meat lowers your risk of diabetes.

Why meat might be dangerous?

The exact reason why meat — particularly red meat and processed meat — is problematic isn’t known.

Three main components of meat that is believed to increase diabetes risk:

*Sodium, which increases blood pressure, can cause insulin resistance.

*Nitrites in processed meats may increase insulin resistance and impair pancreatic function.

*Heme iron found in red meat can cause cell damage and chronic inflammation.

What to do to decrease your risk of diabetes

If you are at increased risk for getting diabetes or already have it, small changes matter.

If you eat a lot of red meat, try to cut back. And replacing some meat-based protein with eggs or plant-based protein is your best option. For example, you can get 30 grams of protein from:

●One egg

●¼ cup of cooked beans or peas

●1 tablespoon of peanut or almond butter

The fact is, you only need a small amount of protein each day: 150 grams daily for women and 180 grams for men. Older adults need even less protein in their diet.

The Finnish study estimated that replacing just 5 grams of animal protein with plant protein each day would reduce your risk of diabetes by 18 percent.

The next time you are planning a meal or eating out make some small adjustments. Try choosing a 150 grams steak instead of a 300 grams serving. Also, opting for the chicken or fish instead of ribs can help keep your risk down.

Or, better yet, look for plant-based protein options in new recipes or on the menu at your favorite restaurants.