Eating processed meat daily linked to higher risk of Type 2 diabetes: study

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't produce enough of it, leading to high blood sugar levels, according to Diabetes Canada.

Eating just 50 grams of processed meat per day — about the equivalent of two slices of ham — appears to correlate to a 15 per cent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within the next decade, according to a new study.

The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, suggests that eating 100 grams of unprocessed meat a day, which is equivalent to a small streak, was associated with a 10 per cent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Though the link was a correlation, not a clear causation, it adds to a growing body of research raising concerns about the health effects of processed meats.

“The findings for processed meat and many health conditions including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer have been consistent and strong,” said senior author Nita Forouhi, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

“Our research adds meaningfully to the existing evidence by including a very large population of nearly two million participants from 31 studies in 20 countries as well as including as many as 18 studies that had not previously reported their findings,” she told Global News in an email on Wednesday.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t produce enough of it, leading to high blood sugar levels, according to Diabetes Canada. It usually develops later in life and is often linked to lifestyle factors like diet and exercise.

In contrast, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, resulting in little to no insulin production. Type 1 typically occurs in childhood and requires lifelong insulin therapy, while Type 2 can often be managed with lifestyle changes and medication.

Type 2 diabetes affects more than 500 million people worldwide and is estimated to affect one billion people by 2050, the study said.