Diets High In Fat And Meat May Increase Diabetes Risk

A group of researchers from Hawaii found that diets high in fat and meat (meat, eggs, cheese) were associated with increased risk for diabetes among several ethnic groups.¹

The researchers analyzed diets from participants of the Hawaiian component of the Multiethnic Cohort Study. The group was comprised of over 35,000 Japanese Americans, 29,000 Caucasians, and 10,000 Native Hawaiians, and followed for 14 years. After adjusting for body mass index (BMI):

• Fat and meat was associated with increased diabetes risk in overweight men and overweight Japanese women.
  
• Vegetables lowered diabetes risk in men but not in women.
  
• Fruit and milk seemed to be more beneficial in women than in men.

They concluded:

"Foods high in meat and fat appear to confer a higher diabetes risk in all ethnic groups, whereas the effects of other dietary patterns vary by sex and ethnicity."

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¹ Dietary Patterns and Risk for Diabetes: The Multiethnic Cohort, Diabetes Care, March 2010