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Will Grilled Meat Raise Your Risk for Diabetes?

The Nurses' Health Study found that women who indulge in grilled meat twice a week or more often have a higher rate of type 2 diabetes.

People who want to avoid type 2 diabetes might want to limit use of the barbecue grill. There’s new evidence that grilled meat can increase the chance of this disorder.

What Is the Story on Grilled Meat?

The long-running Nurses’ Health Study collected detailed dietary data on nearly 60,000 women every few years between 1986 and 2012. The investigators also compile complete health information on every participant, yielding 1.24 million person-years of data.

More than 6,000 women were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the study. The scientists found that women who ate red meat that was barbecued or broiled two or more times a week had a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate it less than once a month.

Their risk was 29 percent higher if they ate barbecued meat compared to women who rarely indulged in such food. Those who frequently ate broiled meat had a 23 percent higher risk of diabetes. Eating meats that were stewed or boiled did not seem to carry the same risk.

Does Grilled Meat Contribute to Weight Gain?

The researchers found that women who ate grilled meat frequently were also more likely to gain weight, which might contribute to the risk of diabetes. They did not explain this connection, however. Might it be that meals containing barbecued burgers or steak also have lots of fattening extras?

Liu et al, Diabetes Care, online June 13, 2017 

7/8/19 redirected to: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/how-to-grill-safely-this-summer/

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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