Chicken, meat consumption elevates diabetes risk

New Delhi: Consuming animal products like meat and chicken can considerably increase the risk of diabetes.

The findings showed that those participants who consumed higher amounts of saturated fatty acids and animal fat had a twofold higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes than those participants with a lower intake of saturated and animal fat.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Researchers Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain`s Tarragona evaluated the associations between total and subtypes of fat intake and the risk of Type-2 diabetes.

They analysed data from 3,349 participants, who were free of diabetes at baseline but at high cardiovascular risk.

In addition, they have evaluated the relationship between food sources rich in saturated fatty acids and the incidence of type 2 diabetes.After 4.5 years of follow-up, 266 participants developed diabetes.

The results indicated that consumption of 12 grams per day of butter was associated with a twofold higher risk of diabetes after 4.5 years of follow-up, whereas the intake of whole-fat yogurt was associated with a lower risk.

These findings emphasize the healthy benefits of a Mediterranean diet for preventing chronic diseases, particularly Type-2 diabetes, and the importance of substituting saturated and animal fats, especially red and processed meat for those found in vegetable sources such as olive oil and nuts.

The experts suggested the importance of swapping saturated animal fats for olive oil and nuts.

(With ANI inputs)