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Hot Dogs, Lunch Meats Raise Diabetes Risk
It's No Bologna. Too Much Processed Meat Puts Health at Risk The study appears in the March issue of Diabetes Care.
March 1, 2002 -- It's a finding that could strike fear in the hearts of hot dog vendors and sandwich makers across the country. A new study suggests that a diet jam-packed with hot dogs, bacon, and luncheon meats could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by almost 50% among men.
The Harvard School of Public Health report shows that men who ate processed meats -- including hot dogs, bacon, sausage, salami, and bologna -- more than five times a week were 46% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who ate less of these items.
An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes and about 90% of those suffer from type 2 or adult-onset diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the body becomes insensitive to insulin. This allows sugar to build up in the blood and potentially cause damage to the kidney, heart, eyes, or circulation. Without treatment, type 2 diabetes can lead to blindness, limb amputation, kidney failure, heart disease, and death.
Over 12 years, researchers examined the eating habits of 42,504 men aged 40-75, and looked at whether total fat or meat intake of any kind was related to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
"Consumption of unprocessed red meat and of poultry was not associated with risk for type 2 diabetes," write the authors. "Of the eight questionnaire items on meat and poultry consumption, only consumption of the three processed meat items [bacon, hot dogs, and other processed meats] was appreciably associated with diabetes risk."
Although fattier diets and diets high in saturated fats were also linked to an increased risk of diabetes, that association disappeared after taking obesity into account. Obesity and lack of physical activity are known risk factors for diabetes.
Previous studies have suggested that the nitrates used to preserve processed meats may be associated with the risk of type 1 diabetes (or insulin-dependent diabetes in which insulin must be injected daily), but little is known about their relationship to type 2 diabetes. Researchers say there may be some other lifestyle factor among men who eat a lot of processed meat, other than nitrates, that could explain the link.
One type of fat, known as a linoleic acid, actually seemed to have the reverse effect and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers found younger and leaner men who had a diet rich in linoleic acid -- one of the omega-6 fatty acids that is found in flaxseed, corn, safflower, soybean, and canola oils -- were less likely to develop the disease, but the same finding did not hold true for people who were older (over age 65) or obese.
It's No Bologna. Too Much Processed Meat Puts Health at Risk The study appears in the March issue of Diabetes Care.
March 1, 2002 -- It's a finding that could strike fear in the hearts of hot dog vendors and sandwich makers across the country. A new study suggests that a diet jam-packed with hot dogs, bacon, and luncheon meats could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by almost 50% among men.
The Harvard School of Public Health report shows that men who ate processed meats -- including hot dogs, bacon, sausage, salami, and bologna -- more than five times a week were 46% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who ate less of these items.
An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes and about 90% of those suffer from type 2 or adult-onset diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the body becomes insensitive to insulin. This allows sugar to build up in the blood and potentially cause damage to the kidney, heart, eyes, or circulation. Without treatment, type 2 diabetes can lead to blindness, limb amputation, kidney failure, heart disease, and death.
Over 12 years, researchers examined the eating habits of 42,504 men aged 40-75, and looked at whether total fat or meat intake of any kind was related to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
"Consumption of unprocessed red meat and of poultry was not associated with risk for type 2 diabetes," write the authors. "Of the eight questionnaire items on meat and poultry consumption, only consumption of the three processed meat items [bacon, hot dogs, and other processed meats] was appreciably associated with diabetes risk."
Although fattier diets and diets high in saturated fats were also linked to an increased risk of diabetes, that association disappeared after taking obesity into account. Obesity and lack of physical activity are known risk factors for diabetes.
Previous studies have suggested that the nitrates used to preserve processed meats may be associated with the risk of type 1 diabetes (or insulin-dependent diabetes in which insulin must be injected daily), but little is known about their relationship to type 2 diabetes. Researchers say there may be some other lifestyle factor among men who eat a lot of processed meat, other than nitrates, that could explain the link.
One type of fat, known as a linoleic acid, actually seemed to have the reverse effect and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers found younger and leaner men who had a diet rich in linoleic acid -- one of the omega-6 fatty acids that is found in flaxseed, corn, safflower, soybean, and canola oils -- were less likely to develop the disease, but the same finding did not hold true for people who were older (over age 65) or obese.
