Does Red Meat Raise Blood Sugars?
Recently I have heard more and more people use the phrase “I don’t eat red meat because it bad for my blood sugars.” As red meat- along with any other cuts of meat- is a food made up of only fat and protein, eating red meat will have no immediate effect on your blood sugar. Crash course in macro-nutrients Foods can be broken up into three macro-nutrient categories: Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein. Blood sugars increase when we consume Carbohydrate foods- fruits, rice, beans, pastas, breads, milk, and starchy vegetables such as corn, potatoes and winter squash. As these foods are digested into their basic components- glucose is released into the bloodstream. This glucose is what causes blood sugars to raise after eating a food containing Carbohydrates. Protein foods however do not have glucose as part of their elemental structure, instead they break down into amino acids. Amino acids aid in building muscle and repairing cells in your body. Fats can be either saturated or unsaturated fats and fuel cells providing a required source of energy for our brains for survival. Red meat Foods are often a combination of these three macronutrients. Take red meat for example: Beef contains both protein and fat, but no carbohydrates. Where then does the misconception that red meat hurts blood sugars come from? Red meat is typically high in fats, especially saturated fatty acids. Foods containing fat are higher in calories which may lead to poor weight control if eaten in excess. As mentioned before, fats are essential for brain and cell health, but the American Diabetes Association recommends limiting fats to less than 30% of total calorie consumption with saturated fats making up less than 10% calorie consumption. Saturated fatty acids are the types of fat that stay solid at room Continue reading >>
Meat Lover's Guide To A Diabetes Diet
Is the aroma of a sizzling steak too good to resist? If you're smart about how you choose red meat, it can have a place among other healthy protein sources in your diabetes diet. Having diabetes means making some specific dietary changes, but you don’t have to give up all of your favorite foods. You just need to make better choices. If you’re a meat lover, knowing how to select quality red meat and avoiding processed types, like certain cold cuts, is key. Cutting back on red meat and processed meats is beneficial even if you don't have diabetes because it's a heart-healthy strategy for any diet. And cutting back when you do have diabetes is even more important because all the fat and salt that comes along with processed meat can make diabetes control more difficult. On the other hand, your diabetes diet should include healthy protein, and the right lean red meat can fit the bill, but within limits. About Diabetes and Red Meat When researchers in Japan looked at the dietary habits and diabetes risk of 27,425 men and 36,424 women between 45 and 75 years old, they found that for men, but not women, red meat or processed meat consumption correlated with diabetes risk. The more of those meats the men ate, the greater their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the authors concluded. A large study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found similar results in a large group of U.S. adults, although without a gender split. And when yet another team of researchers reviewed studies on this link, they found similar results across the board. The conclusion? Eating a lot of red meat and processed meat appears to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. According to these findings published in Current Atherosclerosis Reports, processed meat in particular, Continue reading >>
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 >>
Does Sugar Cause Diabetes?
The recent film What the Health raised the question as to whether sugar or other carbohydrates cause diabetes. Because blood sugar levels are high in diabetes, a common notion has held that eating sugar somehow triggers the disease process. The American Diabetes Association and Diabetes UK have labeled this notion a “myth,” as has the Joslin Diabetes Center, which wrote, “Diabetes is not caused by eating too much sugar.” These and other organizations have worked to educate people about the causes of diabetes and the role that foods play in the disease process. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Type 2 diabetes—the most common form of the disease—is caused by insulin resistance and pancreatic failure. Sugar can play an aiding and abetting role in diabetes, but the idea that “eating sugar causes diabetes” is simplistic and interferes with efforts to help the public understand the actual causes of the disease and how to protect themselves and their families. Here is what you need to know: The human body runs on glucose, a simple sugar. Just as gasoline powers your car, glucose powers your muscles, your brain, and the rest of your body. Glucose comes from fruit and from starchy foods, such as grains, beans, and potatoes, and your body can also produce it when needed. Without it, you would die. Diabetes means having higher-than-normal blood glucose values. It comes in three common forms: Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, usually through an autoimmune process. The triggers for this process are under investigation and may include dairy proteins, viruses, or other factors. Type 2 diabetes typically starts with insulin resistance. That is, the cells of the body resist insulin’s efforts to escort Continue reading >>
Could Eating Meat Give You Diabetes? A Cardiologist Explains
I know, I know. Here goes Debbie Downer again, bursting your bubble as you consider biting into a sirloin burger, salmon steak, or grilled chicken sandwich. Meat is good for you, right? With so many doctors writing about the benefits of grass-fed beef, is meat even controversial anymore? Well, yes. And the risk of developing diabetes mellitus a disease that causes blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks , strokes, amputations, and years of lost lifespan is one big reason to think twice before you reach for that T-bone. I just returned from an international conference on diabetes and a hot topic of discussion among the scholars was the meat-diabetes connection. A growing body of data in the scientific literature indicates that meat and diabetes go together like surf 'n turf. Here are a few points to digest as you consider how you want to approach your health: 1. In 1985, the Adventist Mortality Study analyzed the risk of diabetes in 25,000 vegetarians and meat eaters and found that women who ate red meat increased their risk of developing diabetes by 40% and men who ate red meat increased their risk by 80%. 2. In 1999, the Adventist Health Study looked at 34,000 Seventh-day Adventists and found that women who ate meat increased their risk of developing diabetes by 93%, for men the figure was 97%. 3. In 2009, The Adventist Health Study-2 evaluated 61,000 people and found that meat-eaters were twice as likely to develop diabetes as those who were totally plant-based. 4. In a meta-analysis of meat consumption and diabetes , scientists found that for every 3.5 ounces of red meat consumed per day, diabetes risk increased 10%. And for every 1.75 ounces of processed red meat consumed per day (about the equivalent of one packaged hot dog), the risk increased 51%. On a positive Continue reading >>
A Diabetes Link To Meat
Right Now | Getting the Red out [extra:Extra] Read more about Harvard’s “Healthy Eating Plate.” Also: Red-meat consumption is already linked to higher levels of colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke). Now researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have added an increased risk of type 2 (adult onset) diabetes to that list. The incurable illness occurs when the body’s ability to control blood glucose levels by means of insulin secretion becomes impaired, either because of “insulin resistance” (when insulin fails to trigger effective glucose uptake by muscle or other tissues), or because production of insulin by beta cells in the pancreas declines. The HSPH investigators, led by professor of epidemiology Frank Hu and research fellow An Pan, analyzed data from three longitudinal studies of male and female healthcare professionals who were followed for 14 to 28 years. After adjusting for other risk factors, the researchers found that a daily serving of red meat no larger than a deck of cards increased the risk of adult-onset diabetes by 19 percent. Processed red meat proved much worse: a daily serving half that size—one hot dog, or two slices of bacon, for example—was associated with a 51 percent increase in risk. (The average 10-year risk of getting diabetes for U.S. adults is around 10 percent.) Why is red meat harmful? “Saturated fat, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, is really just the beginning of the story,” explains Hu. Even though it is “difficult to pinpoint one compound or ingredient” as mechanistically linked to diabetes risk, three components of red meat—sodium, nitrites, and iron—are probably involved. Sodium is well known to increase blood pressure, but it also c Continue reading >>
Does Eating Red Meat Increase The Risk Of Diabetes?
No matter how often I write articles defending the place of red meat in a healthy diet, there are always people who get bent out of shape whenever a new study is published with a different twist on the same old “red meat is killing us” story. Although I can’t say addressing these (often ridiculous) studies is the most exciting undertaking, I wanted to write about this one because it’s a prime example of the limitations of observational evidence, and what happens when you control for even the most simple confounding variables. Does red meat really increase your risk of diabetes? Read this to find out! The study in question is titled “Associations between red meat intake and biomarkers of inflammation and glucose metabolism in women,” and was conducted by Walter Willet and a group of other Harvard researchers. (1) Using data from the Nurse’s Health cohort, they identified a positive relationship between red meat intake and higher levels of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, fasting insulin, and Hb A1c, after adjusting for demographic, medical and lifestyle factors. CRP (and sometimes ferritin) are markers for inflammation, and elevated fasting insulin and hemoglobin A1c indicate impaired glucose metabolism. Limitations of Observational Evidence Right off the bat, there’s a glaring weakness in this study that has been largely glossed over by many media reports: all but one of these associations disappeared after adjusting for BMI. As the study authors mention, excess body fat is the biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people with higher BMIs have less-than-ideal biomarkers for glucose metabolism. Additionally, it’s common for people who are overweight or obese to have have underlying chronic inflammat Continue reading >>
“sugar Does Not Cause Diabetes”: Did The Film What The Health Get It Right?
The documentary What the Health is receiving a huge amount of attention and most of it is positive. Many reports of people attempting to eat better are filling social media. I discussed the film on a local TV station in Detroit after two reporters indicated that the movie had made a big impact on their diets. There have even been reports that restaurants serving healthier fare have seen an uptick in customers attributing the change to the film. I have seen this in my own plant-based restaurant and have a What The Health Happy Hour that has been very popular. Naturally, there have been critics of the movie defending their viewpoint that meat based diets are healthy, but most have rallied around a statement in the film by Neal Barnard, MD that “sugar does not cause diabetes”. As the answer to this question may be important to you, I have done some research and share it here but this is in NO way an endorsement to add back soda and candy bars to your diet. In a world stressed by growing obesity and its medical consequences, limiting sugar is a universal recommendation from all health experts. 1) Type 1 diabetes is not caused by sugar. All agree on this as type 1 diabetes is considered an autoimmune disease leading to destruction of the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. However, patients with type 1 diabetes can develop and reverse insulin resistance (IR) in their muscles and liver so understanding the origin of IR is important. 2) Who is Neal Barnard, MD? Dr. Barnard is a graduate of the George Washington University School of Medicine and an adjunct associate professor of medicine there. He has published over 70 scientific publications (including long term studies on diet and diabetes) and 18 books including several New York Times bestsellers on health and diabe Continue reading >>
The Truth About Red Meat And Diabetes
Not all red meat is created equal – some isn’t even good enough to even be considered food. Yet when a news article talks about red meat being bad for you, you can bet the author (or the study behind the news) failed to distinguish between processed meat and unprocessed meat, as well as overcooked meat and properly cooked meat. That’s not even considering grass-fed meat vs. industrial meat, which I’ve blogged about extensively. “Red-meat-is-bad” articles don’t always deserve a rebuttal because *most* red meat actually is bad for you. However, it’s a major mistake to say all red meat is bad for you. This post serves to confront misleading headlines about red meat and diabetes risk. Let’s ask a few questions, see what the science actually says, and talk about the Bulletproof recommendations. Processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, deli meats etc. contain high omega-6’s, often have mold toxins called mycotoxins, and nitrates that can combine with bad gut bacteria. All of these can be correlated with an increased risk of diabetes. Instead, insist on eating grass fed, low toxin meat to promote good health and optimize performance. Research Doesn’t Distinguish Between Processed Red Meat and Unprocessed Red Meat When articles suggest red meat causes chronic diseases like diabetes, you would expect a high degree of specificity and accuracy. Unfortunately all you get are alarming headlines and half-truths. When you see blog posts like “Hot Dogs, Bacon and Red Meat Tied to Increased Diabetes Risk,” you should ask yourself how the authors justify lumping hot dogs (a blend of soy, wheat, MSG, and cast off animal parts) in with meat and what the study design looked like. Of course, the recent news about diabetes referenced a study that did not distinguish h 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 >>
Red Meat Linked To Increased Diabetes Risk
HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat a lot of red meat increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while those who cut down on red meat cut their risk. Those are the findings of a large new study out of Singapore involving 149,000 U.S. men and women. The researchers found that increasing the consumption of red meat can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 48 percent. "There is no need to have more red meat on your plate; it increases the risk of diabetes," said lead researcher An Pan, an assistant professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore. "It is better to reduce your red meat consumption by replacing it with other healthy food choices, like beans, legumes, soy products, nuts, fish, poultry and whole grains," he added. The report was published in the June 17 online edition of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. For the study, Pan's team collected data on three Harvard group studies: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Nurses' Health Study and the Nurses' Health Study II. All the participants answered questions about their diet every four years, resulting in more than 1.9 million person-years of follow-up. There were more than 7,500 cases of type 2 diabetes, the researches found. Comparing diet with the cases of diabetes, Pan's group found that people who increased their consumption of red meat by 0.5 servings per day during a four-year period were 48 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, compared with people who ate less red meat. Moreover, people who cut their red meat consumption were 14 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, they found. Outside experts, however, argued about the findings. "Epidemiological studies made by questionnair 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 >>
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 >>
Type 2 Diabetes Warning: Too Much Red Meat And Poultry Can Increase Risk
Dinner time favourites such as beef and lamb are high in iron, a mineral associated with triggering the debilitating disease. But even chicken thighs and drumsticks can be bad for you, say experts. The darker the meat, the greater the risk, with scientists finding a direct link between consumption and Type 2 diabetes. Almost 12 million Britons are thought to be at risk of developing the condition, which is linked to lifestyle factors such as poor diet. Analysis of more than 60,000 people shows those eating the most red meat increase their risk by 23 per cent while for those who eat a lot of dark poultry meat the risk increases by 15 per cent. Experts suggest cutting out dark meat and replacing it with chicken breast, fish, shellfish and vegetables. Dietitian Pav Kalsi, clinical adviser to charity Diabetes UK, said: “We know eating more red and processed meats is associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. “Simple changes to diet include eating less processed and red meat and instead getting protein from plant sources such as pulses, beans and lentils and from lean poultry and oily fish. “Eating more fruit and vegetables and whole grains, as well as cutting down on the amount of sugar, salt and fat in your diet can help too.” The new study, one of the biggest of its kind, looked at the diets of 63,257 people aged between 45 and 74 who took part in the Singapore Chinese Health Study between 1993 and 1998. Scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore then followed the group over the next 11 years, identifying 5,207 new cases of Type 2 diabetes. They say the association between red meat intake and Type 2 risk was “statistically significant”. Senior author Professor Koh Woon Puay said: “We don’t need to remove meat from the diet entirely just re 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 >>
