Individuals who regularly eat red meat and other animal products are more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who predominately consume plant-based foods.
A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found that type 2 diabetes is associated with a high intake of heme iron – a form of iron mainly found in red meat and other animal products.
Senior author Fenglei Wang said: “Compared to prior studies that relied solely on epidemiological data, we integrated multiple layers of information, including epidemiological data, conventional metabolic biomarkers, and cutting-edge metabolomics.
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“This allowed us to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the association between iron intake and type 2 diabetes risk, as well as potential metabolic pathways underlying this association.”
As part of the study, the scientists analysed the eating patterns of 206,615 individuals, particularly looking at their intake of iron – total, heme, non-heme, dietary (from foods), and supplemental (from supplements).
They looked at more than 37,000 participants’ plasma metabolic biomarkers, including those related to insulin levels, blood sugar, blood lipids, inflammation, and two biomarkers of iron metabolism.
In addition, they assessed 9,024 participants’ metabolomic profiles — plasma levels of small-molecule metabolites, which are substances derived from bodily processes such as breaking down food or chemicals.
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They discovered that the people with the highest heme iron intake were 26% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those with the lowest intake.
Fellow author Professor Frank Hu said: “This study underscores the importance of healthy dietary choices in diabetes prevention.
“Reducing heme iron intake, particularly from red meat, and adopting a more plant-based diet can be effective strategies in lowering diabetes risk.”
Read the study in the journal Nature Metabolism.
