Meat linked to diabetes and CVD risk

Eating just two servings of meat a day can increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome by 25 percent compared to consuming meat twice a week. Fried foods and soda were also found to present the same dangers, while a diet based on vegetables, fruit, and fish did show advantageous effects on such a condition.

The study, conducted by researcher from the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Minneapolis, and the University of North Carolina, was published this month Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The scientists analyzed the dietary intake of 9,514 participants aged between 45 and 64, in a collaborative study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute called the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities.

In general, the Western diet was heavy on refined grains, processed meat, fried foods, red meat, eggs, soda, and was light on fish, fruit, vegetables and whole grain products.

Prudent diet eating patterns favored cruciferous vegetables, carotenoid vegetables, fruit, fish and seafood, poultry and whole grains, along with low fat dairy.

Researchers also assessed associations with individual food items: fried foods, sweetened beverages, diet soda, nuts and coffee.

After nine years of follow-up, 3,782 participants, equal to 40 percent, had three or more risk factors for metabolic syndrome.

"After adjusting for demographic factors, smoking, physical activity and energy intake, consumption of a Western dietary pattern was adversely associated with metabolic syndrome," said Steffen.

When Steffen and colleagues analyzed the results by specific foods, they found that meat, fried foods and diet soda were all significantly associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome.

Steve - when eating conventionally grown meat that is fed corn and soy, injected with hormones, antibiotics, etc., you are going to get numbers like these. Unless your have a specific genetic variation that warrants consistent meat consumption (of the organic, grass-fed fare), once or twice weekly is the general rule.

While a surprise to most of the public, we are not surprised that diet soda contributes to metabolic syndrome.