Processed red meats identified as major cause of diabetes

Processed red meat – such as bacon, burgers and sausages – is a major cause of type 2 diabetes, the lifestyle disease that can lead to heart problems.  
Eating just 50 grams of processed meat each day – which is equivalent to one sausage or two slices of bacon – increases your risk of developing diabetes by 51 per cent. But there’s also a risk with eating any red meat, although it’s much lower than with processed meats.  A 100 gram serving of unprocessed red meat – such as a small steak or a lamb chop – increases the risk by 19 per cent.
Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health say that substituting one serving of processed meat for a healthier option – such as nuts, whole grains, beans or fish – reduce the risk for diabetes by as much as 23 per cent.  Overall, they say, try to avoid processed meat as much as possible, and reduce the amount of unprocessed red meat you eat.
(Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 10, 2011, published online ahead of print).