Too much red meat, refined carbs sparks rise in diabetes: Study

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No bacon for you!

A new study found that red meat and refined carbs are driving the global increase in new cases of Type 2 diabetes.

The study, published on Monday in the Nature Medicine journal, analyzed the dietary intake of adults in 184 countries over nearly three decades.

Researchers determined that poor diet contributed to over 14 million new cases of Type 2 diabetes worldwide in 2018.

Type 2, the most common form of diabetes, is when the body doesn’t process insulin properly.

“Our study suggests poor carbohydrate quality is a leading driver of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes globally,” senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University and professor of medicine at Tufts School of Medicine, said in a statement to CNN.

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People are eating far too much red and processed meats, such as bacon, sausage and salami, which is another contributing factor.

That combination — eating too much refined rice, wheat and potatoes, eating too much processed and unprocessed red meats and not eating enough whole grains — were the key factors causing more cases of diabetes.

“These new findings reveal critical areas for national and global focus to improve nutrition and reduce devastating burdens of diabetes,” Mozaffarian said.

Other factors include drinking too many sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice and not eating enough non-starchy vegetables, nuts, or seeds, but those determinants had less of an impact on new Type 2 diabetes cases.

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting people in Canada, with more than three million Canadians (8.9% of the population) having been diagnosed with it — 90% of cases being Type 2, according to Health Canada.

The department also notes the rates of diabetes rising worldwide, with the World Health Organization identifying the chronic disease as “one of the major public health challenges of this century.”

Diabetes Canada recommends eating healthy meals and snacks, aiming for a healthy body weight, effectively managing stress and partaking in regular physical activity as some of the ways Canadians can manage Type 2 diabetes.