Meat And Diabetes
Singer Chaka Khan says she reversed her Type 2 diabetes with a vegan diet. We know from several studies that vegetarian and vegan (no meat, fish, eggs, dairy, or honey) diets help prevent, control, and even reverse diabetes. But how do they do that? Neal Barnard, MD, founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, is probably the leading advocate for medical veganism. He says that animal fats cause diabetes; that they block cells’ insulin receptors. He says insulin is like a key, opening a lock to get glucose into cells. Fats are like chewing gum stuck in the keyhole so insulin can’t work. Barnard cites data tracking the rise of diabetes in Japan. He shows how closely this rise follows the introduction of the meaty American diet, so he blames the meats for the diabetes. Some studies back him up. An article in Diabetes Care in 2002 reported that “A large body of experimental data generated in laboratory animals strongly supports the notion that high-fat diets are associated with impaired insulin action.” But many disagree. Quinn Phillips wrote here last year about studies showing people given vegan diets reduced their A1C and their diabetes medicines. Quinn got some interesting comments. Reader VegLowCarbDiabetic wrote, I adjusted my…diet to a very low-carb, high-good-fats (olive, coconut, avocado) [diet] with moderate protein [—] mostly from eggs, nuts, and fermented homemade organic raw milk products, such as kefir and strained yogurt, [as well as] fish oils… My A1C went from 11.5 down to 5.5 currently. Note that this is not a vegan diet — it includes eggs, dairy, and fish oil — but it does not include meat. So was it the decreased animal fat that lowered his A1C? Commenter Glen says no: Any glycemic changes in a vegan diet are usually t Continue reading >>
In Defense Of Animal Protein
Paleo is heavy on the defense of animal fat : lard, butter, duck fat, and tallow are all Paleo-friendly traditional fats that make your food delicious as well as providing plenty of healthy fuel. But what about a closely-related target, animal protein? Plenty of vegan groups like to claim that animal protein causes colon cancer (and/or obesity, heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, early deathyou name it, PETA thinks eating animals causes it.) But does that really hold up under scrutiny? Actually, if you look at the evidence from scientific studies instead of vegan blogs, the relationships between animal protein and chronic diseases start to look pretty tenuous. The Problem with Epidemiological Research Proponents of vegan or vegetarian diets like to point to studies showing that intake of protein from animal foods is associated with colorectal cancer or various other diseases. This is called epidemiological research, and its interesting, but all it shows is association. Association doesnt prove anything about causation. Just because two things happen at the same time doesnt mean one caused the other. Burglary and ice cream sales both increase in the summer, but that doesnt mean that eating ice cream causes burglary, or that burglary causes people to crave ice cream. Just a few problems to consider with research finding associations between animal protein and diseases: It cant separate animal protein from everything else found in animal foods (like, say, animal fat, which is an entirely different question and shouldnt be confused with animal protein if were trying to look at protein specifically). For example, this study found that dairy protein and dairy calcium were independently associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer. So does calcium cause cancer now to Continue reading >>
Diets High In Meat, Eggs And Dairy Could Be As Harmful To Health As Smoking
A diet rich in meat, eggs, milk and cheese could be as harmful to health as smoking, according to a controversial study into the impact of protein consumption on longevity. High levels of dietary animal protein in people under 65 years of age was linked to a fourfold increase in their risk of death from cancer or diabetes, and almost double the risk of dying from any cause over an 18-year period, researchers found. However, nutrition experts have cautioned that it's too early to draw firm conclusions from the research. The overall harmful effects seen in the study were almost completely wiped out when the protein came from plant sources, such as beans and legumes, though cancer risk was still three times as high in middle-aged people who ate a protein-rich diet, compared with those on a low-protein diet. But whereas middle-aged people who consumed a lot of animal protein tended to die younger from cancer, diabetes and other diseases, the same diet seemed to protect people's health in old age. The findings emerged from a study of 6,381 people aged 50 and over who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which tracks a representative group of adults and children in the US. The study throws doubt on the long-term health effects of the popular Atkins and Paleo diets that are rich in protein. Instead, it suggests people should eat a low-protein diet until old age when they start to lose weight and become frail, and then boost the body's protein intake to stay healthy. In the over-65s, a high-protein diet cut the risk of death from any cause by 28%, and reduced cancer deaths by 60%, according to details of the study published in the journal Cell Metabolism. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern Califo Continue reading >>
Diets High In Animal And Plant Protein Lead To Similar Benefits In Type 2 Diabetes
Diets high in animal and plant protein lead to similar benefits in type 2 diabetes Diets high in animal and plant protein lead to similar benefits in type 2 diabetes Sitting might not increase type 2 diabetes risk as much as previously thought, say scientists 07 February 2017 People with type 2 diabetes who eat a diet high in animal protein experienced similar health improvements to those who ate more plant protein, according to new research. German scientists compared isocaloric diets (diets with the same level of calories) in 44 people with type 2 diabetes , all of whom had HbA1c levels above 6% (42 mmol/mol), and found higher consumption of animal protein or plant protein led to improvements in metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors. The isocaloric diets, which differed in amino acid composition, contained 30 per cent of energy either as animal or plant protein , along with 30 per cent fat and 40 per cent carbohydrates . In a six-week study, researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Postsdam-Rehbruecke compared the two groups, assessing changes to health markers such as insulin sensitivity , blood pressure and cholesterol levels. There were significant improvements for HbA1c and diastolic blood pressure among the plant protein group, but not the animal protein group. Conversely, the animal plant protein group experienced more significant improvements to insulin sensitivity and fasting blood glucose levels . Before this study, the researchers had hypothesised that plant protein-based diets were metabolically advantageous compared to animal protein diets . But the similar benefits indicate that the differences in amino acid composition do not affect metabolic responses to the diet changes. "Diets containing plant protein [have previously been] shown t Continue reading >>
How To Reduce Your Risk Of Diabetes: Cut Back On Meat
You probably know that eating too much sugar and fat increases your risk of getting type 2 diabetes . But research increasingly shows that a food you might not expect meat can dramatically raise your chances as well. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy Your body needs protein. But if you have diabetes or a risk of diabetes its wise to cut back onyour meat intake to improve your health. 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 2diabetes. 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 spring from researchers in Finland analyzed the diets ofmore 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 and variety meats, which include organ meats such as tongue or liver. 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 didnt. An even smaller-sized serving of processed red meat, such as one hot dog or two slices of bacon, in Continue reading >>
Too Much Animal Protein Linked To Increased Diabetes Risk
People who eat the most protein, especially from animal sources, are more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to a study of European adults. The new study did not randomly assign participants to eat different amounts of protein, which would have yielded the strongest evidence. Instead, it compared the diets of people who went on to develop diabetes and those who did not get the disease. But the findings do align with other studies. "Several previous studies have found that higher intake of total protein, especially animal protein, are associated with long-term risk of developing diabetes," said Dr. Frank Hu, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Hu, who was not involved in the new study, researches prevention of diabetes through diet and lifestyle. "Substantial amounts of animal protein come from red meat and processed meat, which have been consistently associated with increased risk of diabetes," he told Reuters Health in an email. For the new report, researchers examined data from a large previous study of adults in eight European countries spanning 12 years. The study collected data on participants' diet, physical activity, height, weight and waist circumference, then followed them to see who developed diabetes. A team of researchers led by Monique van Nielen of Wageningen University in the Netherlands selected 11,000 people who developed type 2 diabetes from the data and 15,000 people without diabetes for comparison. Overall, the adults in the study commonly ate about 90 grams of protein per day. Those who ate more tended to have a higher weight-to-height ratio and to eat more fiber and cholesterol than people who ate less protein. After accounting for other diabetes risk factors, every additional 10 grams of protein people consumed Continue reading >>
Diet Rich In Plant Protein May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Eating a diet with a higher amount of plant protein may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to researchers from the University of Eastern Finland. While plant protein may provide a protective role, meat protein was shown to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. More than 29 million people in the Unites States are affected by diabetes, with type 2 diabetes accounting for between 90 and 95 percent of all cases. An essential part of managing diabetes is partaking in regular physical activity, taking medications to lower blood glucose levels, and following a healthful eating plan. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, healthy eating consists of consuming a variety of products from all food groups, with nonstarchy vegetables taking up half of the plate, grains or another starch on one fourth of the plate, and meat or other protein comprising the final fourth. It is recommended that fatty or processed meat should be avoided and that lean meat, such as skinless chicken, should be opted for as an alternative. Meat consumption has frequently been explored as a variable associated with diabetes, and previous research has found a link between a high overall intake of protein and animal protein, and a greater risk of type 2 diabetes. Eating plenty of processed red meat, in particular, has been connected with the condition. The new research - published in the British Journal of Nutrition - adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that the source of dietary protein may be important in altering the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers set out to investigate the links between different dietary protein sources and type 2 diabetes risk. They used data from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Facto Continue reading >>
Fat Is The Cause Of Type 2 Diabetes
ron: I’m glad you asked this question, because it gets at a common issue that many people share. Due to science education in schools and the way media reports on scientific news, the general public is under the impression that each new study sort of wipes out any study that came before. Say that yesterday there was a study or article in favor of say butter, then you would see those headlines and think that the latest and greatest WORD from science is that butter is healthy. And then tomorrow, when another study comes out showing that butter is indeed unhealthy, there is another headline and people think that the latest “word” is that butter is now unhealthy. Another problem is that because people think the latest study is the latest word and since studies are not all going to agree, people think that the science keeps flip flopping and get frustrated with that. The media makes this worse by only reporting studies that they can make appear to be a “flip flop” as the media makes money off of eye catching headlines. . But that’s not how science actually works. When done in good faith, science is about hitting a subject from a whole bunch of different angles and attempting to replicate results multiple times. Understanding that life is messy and it’s extremely difficult (impossible?) to create perfect studies for subjects as complex as nutrition on long term health, we *expect* that not all the studies will agree with each other. However, over time, if we do our job, we can also expect that the *body of scientific evidence* will paint a fairly clear picture. I say all the time, “It’s not about any one study. It’s about the body of evidence.” . Did you know that there are over 100 studies showing that smoking is either neutral or health-promoting? But t Continue reading >>
Protein Controversies In Diabetes
Diabetes SpectrumVolume 13 Number 3, 2000, Page 132 Marion J. Franz, MS, RD, LD, CDE In Brief People with diabetes are frequently given advice about protein that has no scientific basis. In addition, although weight is lost when individuals follow a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet, there is no evidence that such diets are followed long-term or that there is less recidivism than with other low-calorie diets. People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who are in poor metabolic control may have increased protein requirements. However, the usual amount of protein consumed by people with diabetes adequately compensates for the increased protein catabolism. People with diabetes need adequate and accurate information about protein on which to base their food decisions. In the United States, ~16% of the average adult consumption of calories is from protein, and this has varied little from 1909 to the present.1 Protein intake is also fairly consistent across all ages from infancy to older age. A daily intake of 2,500 calories contributes ~100 g of protein—about twice what is needed to replace protein lost on a daily basis. Excess amino acids must be converted into other storage products or oxidized as fuel. Therefore, in theory, the excess ingested protein could, through the process of gluconeogenesis, produce glucose. This would mean that 100 g of protein could produce ~50 g of glucose. This has been the basis of the statement that if about half of ingested protein is converted to glucose, protein will have one-half the effect of carbohydrate on blood glucose levels. However, this belief has been challenged.2-4 Protein controversies exist either because research has not provided conclusive answers or because professionals are not aware of the research. This article will review Continue reading >>
Animal-protein Intake Is Associated With Insulin Resistance In Adventist Health Study 2 (ahs-2) Calibration Substudy Participants: A Cross-sectional Analysis
Animal-Protein Intake Is Associated with Insulin Resistance in Adventist Health Study 2 (AHS-2) Calibration Substudy Participants: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, and Disease Prevention Search for other works by this author on: Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, and Disease Prevention Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 1, Issue 4, 1 April 2017, e000299, Bahar Azemati, Sujatha Rajaram, Karen Jaceldo-Siegl, Joan Sabate, David Shavlik, Gary E Fraser, Ella H Haddad; Animal-Protein Intake Is Associated with Insulin Resistance in Adventist Health Study 2 (AHS-2) Calibration Substudy Participants: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 1, Issue 4, 1 April 2017, e000299, Background: High intakes of total and animal protein are associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The influence of protein type on insulin resistance, a key precursor of T2D, has not been extensively studied. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the associations between dietary total, animal, and plant protein intakes as well as the animal-to-plant protein (AP) intake ratio with insulin resistance in middle-aged and older adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis in 548 participants (mean ± SD age: 66.2 ± 13.7 y) from the calibration substudy of the AHS-2 (Adventist Health Study 2) cohort. Participants consumed diets with a low AP intake ratio. Dietary intakes of total and particular types of protein were calculated from six 24-h dietary recalls. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, health, diet intake, and physical activity characteristics. Anthropometric variables including weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. Homeostasis model as Continue reading >>
Meat Consumption As A Risk Factor For Type 2 Diabetes
2.1. Risk Associated with Meat Consumption as a Categorical Variable Researchers investigating relationships between diet and disease risk have sought to identify groups of individuals who differ on relevant dietary variables while remaining reasonably homogeneous in other respects. In this regard, Seventh-day Adventists have been an attractive population for study, because nearly all Adventists avoid tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine, while roughly half are omnivores and half are vegetarians, allowing researchers to identify the effects of dietary variations in an otherwise health-conscious population. Three large Adventist cohorts have examined relationships between meat consumption and diabetes risk in both cross-sectional and prospective analyses (Table 1). The Adventist Mortality Study included a baseline survey of 24,673 white Seventh-day Adventists living in California in 1960, revealing 40% and 80% higher prevalences of diabetes among meat-consuming women (prevalence ratio = 1.4, 95% CI, 1.2–1.8) and men (prevalence ratio = 1.8, 95% CI, 1.3–2.5), respectively, compared with vegetarians, after adjustment for age and body weight [7]. Diabetes prevalence increased as the frequency of meat consumption increased. During the 21-year follow-up of this cohort focusing on those who did not report diabetes at baseline, the mention of diabetes on a death certificate was used as a surrogate for diabetes prevalence [7]. Compared with those who avoided meat, the relative risk of having diabetes on a death certificate, adjusted for age, was 2.2 (RR = 2.2, 95% CI, 1.5–3.4) for meat-consuming men and 1.4 (RR = 1.4, 95% CI, 1.0–1.9) for meat-consuming women. Meat consumption was defined as having red meat or poultry at least once weekly (fish was reportedly rarely consumed i Continue reading >>
High Protein Intake Linked To Higher Type 2 Diabetes Incidence
High Protein Intake Linked to Higher Type 2 Diabetes Incidence Once again, a high intake of protein animal protein in particular has been linked with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, especially among obese women, according to an article published online this week in Diabetes Care. Monique van Nielen, PhD, from the division of nutrition, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a prospective analysis as part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-InterAct case-control study ( EPIC-InterAct ). The goal of InterAct is to investigate how both genetic and lifestyle factors cause diabetes in European countries. The current analysis included 10,901 incident type 2 diabetes cases and a subcohort of 15,352 participants, including 736 diabetes cases, with a mean follow-up of 12 years. The study covers cases occurring in EPIC cohorts between 1991 and 2007 in 8 countries. Previous studies have also examined a potential link between meat consumption and diabetes risk. In the current analysis, researchers used food frequency questionnaires to determine participants' eating habits. They categorized estimated protein intake by quintile of grams per day consumed. They then used Cox proportional hazard models, stratified by country, to estimate the association between protein intake and diabetes incidence. Estimated total protein (mainly animal) intake was 90.4 g/day for men and 91.0 g/day for women. Spain had the highest intake of 102.5 g/day; Germany (80.0 g/day) and Sweden (80.8 g/day) had the lowest. In order of consumption, animal protein sources were meat, dairy, and fish; plant protein sources were bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and other vegetables. The researchers found that, overall, high total protein intake was associa Continue reading >>
Here Is How High Protein Diets Cause Type 2 Diabetes And How You Can Reverse It
Here Is How High Protein Diets Cause Type 2 Diabetes And How You Can Reverse It Eating a high protein diet can actually worsen insulin resistance that leads to type 2 diabetes instead of heal it, according to new research, but there are natural treatments to not only reverse insulin resistance but type 2 diabetes as well. Type 2 diabetes has become an epidemic, which has progressed from a disease of our grandparents and parents to a disease of Americas children. As more and more children and young adults develop type 2 diabetes, it has become apparent that medical science has much to learn about who is at risk, why they develop the disease, how to avoid it and, most importantly, how to prevent this so-called epidemic from destroying future generations. Where this once wasnt the case, it seems anyone is at risk to develop type 2 diabetes in the developed world if they eat a high protein diet. High protein diets are high in fat. What is more, type 2 diabetes is not a genetic disease. Rather, type 2 diabetes is a diet-related disease that is completely reversible according to the journal Diabetes Care . After close evaluation, one cannot say with certainty that the Standard American Diet is a diet that is in our best interest to eat. If you look at the Standard American Diet recommendations closely, it is recommended to eat a substantial portion of meat, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables daily. These recommendations are more tipped toward the best interest of corporations, and not so much toward health. These poor food recommendations may be why were being told that dairy from cows who never see daylight and are shot up with antibiotics and rBST to produce more milk is healthy for us. This may be why were being told to eat red meat that is conventionally raised in the Continue reading >>
Why Is Meat A Risk Factor For Diabetes?
Bill, I think a lot of McDougall’s program as well. The thing I like about Barnard’s book is that he had recipes that featured low glycemic index plant foods that help to keep blood sugar under control while the diet helps your muscles do a little house cleaning and get the fat out. My understanding is only under high levels of circulating FFA do those fats get stash fat in the muscles, so given an opportunity the fat out of the muscles when the circulating levels of FFA drop. That means the effectiveness of the diet isn’t predicated on losing a bunch of weight, which is good since you say that you are already lean. The trouble is that the source of the free fatty acids is mainly from saturated fat, the very type of fat that is highest in most low-carb diets. So instead of fixing the root cause of diabetes, a low-carb diet that is high in saturated fat may in fact *be* the root cause of diabetes. Thus the recommended diabetic diet might in fact be the cause for why once developed diabetes only progresses and never reverses or stays the same! It is like treating somebody for a toxic effects of a low level poison by putting them on a diet containing the poison. Also non-estrified fatty acids (NEFA) that come from saturated fat also reduced insulin output from the pancreas. So the same high saturated fat diet that is causing insulin resistance looks to be also reducing the body’s ability produce more insulin to compensate. The good news is that without the suppressive effect of saturated fat, you body might be able to produce more insulin than you think it can. And even better new is that the effects of going whole hog (so to speak) and going 100% plant based (with sufficient fore thought and planning and practice so it isn’t punishment food) appears to be rapid Continue reading >>
Does Red Meat Cause Diabetes?
Our body needs protein to build and repair bones, muscles, skin and blood. We also use protein to make enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals essential for proper body functioning. Red meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, beans and peas, soy products, nuts and seeds are considered part of the protein food group. Several studies[1],[2],[4] have suggested that eating too much red and processed meats can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes. Red meat includes pork, beef, mutton and veal. Processed meats are meats that are preserved by curing, salting, smoking, drying or canning. Hot dogs, bacon, ham, sausages, corned beef and canned luncheon meat are examples of processed meats. In one study,[3] researchers observed a group of middle-aged men and women for four years. They found that those who increased their red meat intake by half a serving a day had a 48 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than if they had not changed their diet. Those who reduced their red meat intake, on the other hand, had a lower risk. Processed red meat is especially bad for your health[4]. It is believed that the preservatives, additives and chemicals (e.g. nitrites, nitrates) that are added to the meat during manufacturing can harm your pancreas (organ that produces insulin) and increase insulin resistance. As red meat is a source of saturated fat, cholesterol, animal protein and haem-iron (iron containing substance), scientists suspect these substances in red meat may also contribute to the increased diabetes risk. How and why this is so is still unclear. Some think that iron overload in the body can promote insulin resistance and raise blood glucose levels. Related: Let's Talk Turkey What Can I Do to Prevent Diabetes? Eat a Variety of Healthy Protein-rich Foods. Add varie Continue reading >>
