Red Meat Consumption Could Increase Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Men

A new study shows that red meat consumption may be linked to an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

This disease that target's a person glucose levels or natural blood sugar, affects roughly 8.3 percent of the U.S. population, according to the American Diabetes Association.

This chronic condition resists the body's effects of insulin-a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into cells and doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level, the Mayo Clinic notes.

As Type 2 Diabetes can be life-threatening if untreated, the new study showed that as of December 2012, up to 20 percent of people with the condition in the United States went blind, and this number seems to be increasing. Researchers also note that the disease is the number one cause of oral health problems, nerve damage, kidney damage and stroke.

Researchers looked at three Harvard studies, including the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986 to 2006, the Nurses Health Study from 1986 to 2006 and the Nurses' Health Study II from 1991 to 2007.

Participants totaled to 26,357 men and 122,786 women involved in three different groups. The men were between the ages of 40 and 75 and the women were between the ages of 25 and 42.

Questions regarding diet and exercises were asked, and researchers found that 7,540 of the cases were positive for Type 2 Diabetes. Researchers also note that reducing red meat consumption by 0.5 servings or more over four years was linked to a 14 percent lower risk during the entire follow-up period.

"Our results confirm the robustness of the association between red meat and T2DM (Type 2 Diabetes) and add further evidence that limiting red meat consumption over time confers benefits for T2DM prevention," the study authors note.

The researchers also analyzed red meat and processed meats separately, and found the association was greater for processed products.

The findings for the study are published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.