Recent research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes reveals how red meat consumption, ultra-processed foods, and physical activity levels can significantly impact the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even among those with genetic predispositions.
Two new studies presented at this week’s annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan add to evidence that everyday diet and activity patterns can influence type 2 diabetes risk, even in people with a strong inherited tendency towards the disease. One study from French researchers linked higher intake of a meat-derived sugar, N-glycolylneuraminic acid, or Neu5Gc, with greater diabetes risk. A second, led by researchers in Hong Kong using UK Biobank data, found that lower consumption of ultra-processed foods, combined with regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
In the French cohort, researchers followed 89,953 adults in the long-running NutriNet-Santé study for a median of 7.2 years. None had diabetes or cancer at the start. After comparing dietary records with a database of Neu5Gc content, the team found that people in the highest intake group had a 63% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those in the lowest group. The association held after adjustment for age, smoking, diet quality, physical activity and other factors, and the pattern suggested a threshold effect rather than a straight line relationship. Leopold Fezeu of Université Sorbonne Paris Nord said the findings support chronic inflammation as a possible pathway linking red meat with diabetes, partly beyond body weight and partly independent of it.
Neu5Gc is found most abundantly in red meat such as beef and lamb, and in smaller amounts in dairy products. Humans do not naturally produce it, and the body can treat it as foreign, creating an immune response that may contribute to low-grade inflammation. The researchers found no clear link between dairy-derived Neu5Gc and diabetes, and said the signal appeared to be driven mainly by meat sources. They also stressed that the study was observational and preliminary, so it cannot prove cause and effect. The authors said the findings are not a basis for defining a safe level of red meat intake, but they do add another biologically plausible explanation for why heavy red meat consumption may be linked to higher diabetes risk.
The second study, published in Diabetes and based on 56,964 adults in UK Biobank, looked at how ultra-processed food intake and physical activity related to diabetes risk across different levels of genetic susceptibility. Over an average follow-up of 7.8 years, 926 participants developed type 2 diabetes. For every 10% of the diet by weight made up of ultra-processed foods, the risk was 7% higher. By contrast, meeting the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week was associated with a 39% lower risk. Among those at high genetic risk, lower ultra-processed food intake and guideline-level exercise were each linked to materially lower risk, and the combination of both was associated with a 49% lower risk.
Independent reviewers speaking to the UK Science Media Centre said the UK Biobank analysis is a useful addition to the evidence base, not least because physical activity was measured with wrist-worn trackers rather than self-report. But they also cautioned against over-reading the food findings. When the researchers split ultra-processed foods into subgroups, ultra-processed drinks were the only category that remained clearly associated with diabetes after full adjustment, suggesting that added sugar and beverage patterns may matter as much as, or more than, processing itself. The same reviewers noted that the study measured diet and activity only once, so it cannot show whether changing either behaviour later would reduce risk.
Taken together, the studies reinforce a simple but important message: inherited risk is not destiny, and dietary quality still matters. The UK Biobank paper adds to earlier research linking higher ultra-processed food intake with type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications, while the Neu5Gc findings point to a more specific red meat-related mechanism that may involve immune activation and chronic inflammation. Neither study proves that any single food causes diabetes on its own, but both support current advice that people lower their risk by limiting heavily processed foods, choosing healthier protein sources and staying physically active.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
