Scientists link a strange sugar in red meat to a 63% higher diabetes risk
A study of nearly 90,000 adults found that people consuming the most of a little-known sugar found in red meat had a 63% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Scientists suspect the sugar may trigger chronic inflammation, potentially revealing a hidden connection between red meat and diabetes that goes beyond weight gain.
Key points
- People with the highest intake of a sugar found in red meat had a 63% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
- The link weakened and lost statistical significance when total red meat consumption was also considered.
- The findings are preliminary, observational and have not yet been validated.
A sugar naturally present in red meat may help explain why eating these foods has been linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to preliminary findings from a large observational study. Researchers found that participants with the highest intake of meat-derived N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) had a 63% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consumed the least.
The findings were presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy. The study analyzed dietary and health information from 89,953 adults in NutriNet-Santé, a French observational study. Participants were 42 years old on average and 79% were women.
How the study worked
Each participant completed three 24-hour dietary records, and researchers used a validated food database to estimate Neu5Gc intake. Participants were ranked by sex into five groups according to meat-derived Neu5Gc intake, with the lowest group as the reference.
During a median follow-up of 7.2 years, researchers recorded 966 new cases of type 2 diabetes. The second-highest group had a 41% greater risk than the lowest group. The estimates accounted for factors including age, sex, exercise, diet quality, smoking and existing medical conditions.
Our findings support chronic inflammation as a specific mechanism linking red meat consumption with T2D
— Dr. Leopold Fezeu
Limits and open questions
When the analysis also accounted for total red meat consumed, the relationship weakened and was no longer statistically significant, so researchers cannot say whether Neu5Gc itself is responsible. Obesity accounted for about 13% of the association, according to the researchers' estimates.
Neu5Gc from dairy products was not associated with increased risk. The researchers caution that the findings are preliminary and have not been validated, and that the observational study cannot establish that Neu5Gc causes type 2 diabetes.
