Association between dietary meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: the EPIC-InterAct study

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis A diet rich in meat has been reported to contribute to the risk of type 2 diabetes. The present study aims to investigate the association between meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes in the EPIC-InterAct study, a large prospective case-cohort study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Methods During 11.7 years of follow-up, 12,403 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were identified among 340,234 adults from eight European countries. A centre-stratified random subsample of 16,835 individuals was selected in order to perform a case-cohort design. Prentice-weighted Cox regression analyses were used to estimate HR and 95% CI for incident diabetes according to meat consumption. Results Overall, multivariate analyses showed significant positive associations with incident type 2 diabetes for increasing consumption of total meat (50 g increments: HR 1.08; 95% CI 1.05, 1.12), red meat (HR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03, 1.13) and processed meat (HR 1.12; 95% CI 1.05, 1.19), and a borderline positive association with meat iron intake. Effect modifications by sex and class of BMI were observed. In men, the results of the overall analyses were confirmed. In women, the association with total and red meat persisted, although attenuated, while an association with poultry consumption also emerged (HR 1.20; 95% CI 1.07, 1.34). These associations were not evident among obese participants. Conclusions/interpretation This prospective study confirms a positive association between high consumption of total and red meat and incident type 2 diabetes in a large cohort of European adults.

Type of vegetarian diet, obesity and diabetes in adult Indian population

“…Red and processed meat consumption has been associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in a large number of cohort studies in the west [6, 55–57]. Meat intake was associated with a higher risk of diagnosed diabetes in a study in Seventh-Day Adventists [8].…”

Dietary and Policy Priorities for Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Obesity

“…172, 178 Mechanisms require further study, but risk for diabetes may be linked to iron content 179, 180 as well as possibly lipid and amino acid metabolites, advanced glycation end products, trimethylamine N-oxide, and nitrates/nitrites. 181, 182 …”

“…52, 53 Large studies evaluating poultry and incident diabetes have shown mixed results including higher risk, no risk, and lower risk. 178, 190-195 These conflicting findings do not permit strong inference on cardiometabolic effects of poultry.…”

“…While unprocessed red meats and butter may be relatively neutral for CHD, no studies demonstrate appreciable benefits, all meats appear to increase diabetes, and processed meats are strongly linked to CHD (see Meats , above). 20, 29, 173, 178 This is the mistake of recent media reports: conflating complexities of health effects and benefits of some saturated fat-containing foods, and possibly some specific saturated fatty acids, with unsupported recommendations to eat more butter and bacon as routes to health. 345 …”

The EPIC-InterAct Study: A Study of the Interplay between Genetic and Lifestyle Behavioral Factors on the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in European Populations

“…Though individual studies investigating this had started emerging from Europe [14–16], there remained a lack of a systematic approach and adequate sample size. EPIC-InterAct reported that across eight European countries, for every 50-g increase in consumption of red meat and processed meat, there was a higher risk of future type 2 diabetes, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.08 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 1.13] and 1.12 (95 %CI: 1.05, 1.19), respectively, independent of a comprehensive range of potential confounding factors [17]. …”