To Dodge Diabetes, Go Light On The Hot Dogs And Bacon

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
by ALLISON AUBREY



Meat preservatives like nitrites and sodium have been linked to insulin resistance, which might explain the link between Type 2 diabetes and high consumption of these meats, researchers say.
Let's begin with some well-worn advice: Moderation is key. So go ahead and eat that hot dog at the state fair or some bacon on vacation. But take note: People who eat lots of processed meats over their lifetime seem to have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (and heart disease).

How much higher? A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed food questionnaire responses from more than 400,000 participants. They found that people who ate the most red meat — on average a daily serving of 100 grams, about the size of deck of cards — were 20 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the least amount of meat.

Even after adjusting for other risk factors such as weight and lifestyle, the finding held up.


The risk of diabetes doubled for people who ate a lot of processed meats, such as hot dogs, deli meat and bacon, which tend to be high in salt and nitrites.
But the authors found that replacing a daily serving of red meat with alternative sources of protein — such as low fat dairy, nuts or whole grains — reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes also by about 20 percent. Their results are published online today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

But the meat industry isn't so sure about the link between meat and diabetes.

"The total body of research reflects the fact that we simply don't have any metabolic studies implicating meat consumption and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes," said James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation, in a statement.

Hodges points out that the study found no increased risk for people who ate small to moderate amounts of meat. And — to this point — other studies analyzing the health effects of red meat consumption have found similar conclusions.


Hodges also argues that recent studies have shown that meat satisfies hunger longer than carbohydrate-rich foods. And many dietitians agree that protein-rich diets can help facilitate weight loss as long as calories are limited.

The Harvard researchers who published the study say it's not completely clear how red meat may make people more vulnerable to Type-2 diabetes. "The findings are not explained by weight gain or obesity," says Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard and a senior author of the study.


He says higher iron consumption may play a role. Also, sodium and nitrites have also been shown to play a role in increasing insulin resistance.

"These effects are pretty interesting and suggest that red meat has an independent effect on developing Type 2 diabetes."

But Hu concedes that he's not advocating a ban on hot dogs.

"We just shouldn't be putting red meat at the center of our plates everyday," he says.
 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
6,455
29
405
Hi

Not even a meat eater .. Yet, is it the Hot Dogs, red meat and bacon that are the culprit or the preservatives? Diabetes has reached the proportion of an epidemic in the USA and elsewhere. I am not sure that the Human biology has changed that much for the past 100 years. I am however certain our methods of food production, preparation and preservation have dramatically changed ... It would have been much more interesting to conduct the experience with subject that would eat the same amount of NON-processed meat or even better non-corn or non-grain fed animals ...
 

Orb

New Member
Sep 8, 2010
3,010
2
0
Is bacon from the butcher processed, or is it the process involved in packing for supermarkets?

Cheers
Orb
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
by ALLISON AUBREY



Meat preservatives like nitrites and sodium have been linked to insulin resistance, which might explain the link between Type 2 diabetes and high consumption of these meats, researchers say.
Let's begin with some well-worn advice: Moderation is key. So go ahead and eat that hot dog at the state fair or some bacon on vacation. But take note: People who eat lots of processed meats over their lifetime seem to have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (and heart disease).

How much higher? A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed food questionnaire responses from more than 400,000 participants. They found that people who ate the most red meat — on average a daily serving of 100 grams, about the size of deck of cards — were 20 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the least amount of meat.

Even after adjusting for other risk factors such as weight and lifestyle, the finding held up.


The risk of diabetes doubled for people who ate a lot of processed meats, such as hot dogs, deli meat and bacon, which tend to be high in salt and nitrites.
But the authors found that replacing a daily serving of red meat with alternative sources of protein — such as low fat dairy, nuts or whole grains — reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes also by about 20 percent. Their results are published online today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

But the meat industry isn't so sure about the link between meat and diabetes.

"The total body of research reflects the fact that we simply don't have any metabolic studies implicating meat consumption and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes," said James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation, in a statement.

Hodges points out that the study found no increased risk for people who ate small to moderate amounts of meat. And — to this point — other studies analyzing the health effects of red meat consumption have found similar conclusions.


Hodges also argues that recent studies have shown that meat satisfies hunger longer than carbohydrate-rich foods. And many dietitians agree that protein-rich diets can help facilitate weight loss as long as calories are limited.

The Harvard researchers who published the study say it's not completely clear how red meat may make people more vulnerable to Type-2 diabetes. "The findings are not explained by weight gain or obesity," says Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard and a senior author of the study.


He says higher iron consumption may play a role. Also, sodium and nitrites have also been shown to play a role in increasing insulin resistance.

"These effects are pretty interesting and suggest that red meat has an independent effect on developing Type 2 diabetes."

But Hu concedes that he's not advocating a ban on hot dogs.

"We just shouldn't be putting red meat at the center of our plates everyday," he says.

Well I don't necessarily disagree with the conclusions but we must always be aware of the dangers of a retrospective study. To wit, asking people to remember is always fraught with problems. But more importantly, it's just a correlation and doesn't necessarily look at the whole picture of what's going on.

As my stat teacher used to say, just because you were born in a garage, doesn't make you a car. Let me give you an example. For years, the Mediterranean diet has been touted as being heart healthy because of it high concentration of healthy oils. But someone recently in retrospect analyzed the data and pointed out that most of the people assessed were Greek Orthodox and regularly fast one day/week. This author pointed out it was probably the fasting, not the diet that lead to the improved health. The author's point was that fasting allowed the body to release hormones that "reset" the metabolism; in other words, even if we're eating every four hours, our body is always producing those enzymes and hormones needed for digestion without the balanced chemical complement.

Same goes for cholesterol. For years, it was the rage until someone pointed out that people with normal cholesterol levels were suffering MIs. Then it was LDL/HDL (of course that measurement was frought with problems too until recently). Now it C-reactive protein.

Same goes for saturated fats. First, they were the devil. Now with closer examination, not all saturated fats are created equal.

So the bottom line is what other factors might be at play with the individuals in this study that might be more important?
 

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