Red Meat Consumption Associated with Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk; Replacing Red Meat with Plant-Based Protein Sources May Reduce Risk of Diabetes and Provide Environmental Benefits, Harvard-Led Study Finds; Data from Over 200,000 Participants Analyzed

People who eat just two servings of red meat per week may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people who eat fewer servings, and the risk increases with greater consumption, according to a new study led by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The research team also found that replacing red meat with healthy plant-based protein sources, such as nuts and legumes, or modest amounts of dairy foods, was associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The study was published on Thursday, October 19, 2023 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The article is titled “Red Meat Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in a Prospective Cohort Study of United States Females and Males.”