Experts Say That If You Eat A Lot Of Pork, Beef or Mutton, You’re More Likely To Get Diabetes

I feel like this is a real slap to the face for meat lovers.

Look, I’m sorry; I’m a meat lover myself and I really regret to have to present this piece of news to you guys.

In fact, had my boss not abducted my family and forced me to write this, I would have steadfastly refused.

Anyway, according to a study that stretched from 1999 to 2010, consuming about one serving of meat daily puts ethnic Chinese adults at increased risk of diabetes.

What exactly is the study about?

The study, that tracked a whopping 45,111 people between 45 and 74 over 11 years, discovered that a median daily consumption of just one palm-sized serving of meat could increase the risk of diabetes. Red meat would cause a 23 percent increase, while poultry causes a 15 percent spike.

The culprit? Dietary haem iron content that’s found in meat and poultry, according to the senior author of the study, Professor Koh Woon Puay of the Duke-NUS Medical School.

How exactly is it harmful?

It’s absorbed pretty quickly by the body, but large amounts of it could damage tissues, such as those that produce insulin in the pancreas. With decreased insulin, glucose levels will rise, thus causing Diabetes.

Which kind of meat is the most ‘toxic’?

Red or dark meat, such as beef, mutton and pork, contain more myoglobin protein – which supplies more haem iron. In fact, the darker the meat, the higher the haem iron content. So if you’ve been a dark meat lover, maybe it’s time to cut down a bit.

And it’s not just present in meat either; haem iron can also be found in plant-based foods like dark green vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Here’s a list to break it down for you guys.

Red meat: Beef, Lamb, Pork. In terms of ‘harmfulness’, pork isn’t as bad as beef.

Dark meat: Duck, Chicken thigh

White meat: Fish, Chicken breast, Chicken wings

Is the study legitimate?

This is the most important thing. Is it legitimate?

Seeing as the study had been conducted by the pretty reputable Duke-NUS Medical School, I would say it’s pretty legit.

I mean, they were pretty thorough when going about the study. It’s almost like they have a vengeance against meat-lovers.

They interviewed every single participant twice with questionnaires and took into account a variety of factors, including total food intake, smoking status, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical activity, history of hypertension and a diet high in vegetables, fruit and soya bean products.

Of all 45,411 participants, none of them had diabetes at the start. By the end, 5,207 were found with diabetes.

This wasn’t the first study to show that meat causes an increased risk of diabetes either.

A Harvard study in 2011 revealed that a daily serving of red meat increased the risk of diabetes by 19 percent.

What should we do?

What advice does Professor Koh have for us?

According to the Professor, we don’t have to cut out meat entirely. We just need to reduce the daily intake of meats like red meat and choose healthier ones like chicken breast or fish. Plant-based protein food and dairy products are a go too.

If you think about it, everything in this world has a risk. Eat too much ice cream? Diabetes. Too much fried food? Heart Attack. Too many vegetables? You get… well I can’t think of any, but there’s surely something too.

But you get the point – moderation is key. As long as you don’t over-indulge and keep an eye on your consumption levels, everything should be fine.

What about you? Would you try to cut down meat consumption? Or are you just going to embrace your inner Meat-lover and whack all the meat at your local Korean BBQ restaurant?