Preliminary findings from a large French cohort suggest that a naturally occurring sugar in red meat may contribute to higher diabetes risk, highlighting the importance of food composition beyond consumption levels.
A compound found naturally in red meat may be linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to preliminary research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference in Milan. The findings, based on a large French cohort, add to a growing body of work suggesting that what is in red meat may matter as much as how much of it people eat.
The study focused on N-glycolylneuraminic acid, known as Neu5Gc, a sugar produced by most mammals but not by humans. Researchers say it is present in beef and lamb and, in smaller amounts, in dairy products. In people, the body can absorb Neu5Gc from food and incorporate it into tissues, where the immune system may recognise it as foreign and mount an antibody response.
Researchers analysed data from 89,953 adults in the French NutriNet-Santé study, a long-running project examining links between diet, lifestyle and health. Participants, whose average age was 42 and nearly four-fifths of whom were women, had no type 2 diabetes or cancer at the start of the study. Over an average follow-up of 7.2 years, 966 participants developed type 2 diabetes.
The team estimated Neu5Gc intake from three-day food records and divided participants into five groups based on consumption from meat. Those in the highest group had a 63% greater risk of developing diabetes than those in the lowest group, even after accounting for age, sex, physical activity, smoking, diet quality and existing health conditions, according to the presentation. One report said the association remained significant after adjustment for body mass index, while another noted that the link weakened after total red meat intake was taken into account, suggesting Neu5Gc may partly be a marker of red meat consumption rather than an independent cause.
The researchers found no similar link for Neu5Gc from dairy. They said the pattern is consistent with the idea that chronic inflammation could help explain the association, although they stressed that the work does not prove cause and effect. As an observational study, it can show correlation but cannot rule out the influence of other lifestyle or social factors, and the exposure estimate based on food diaries may contain error.
Lead researcher Léopold Fizeau of Sorbonne University Paris-Nord in Bobigny, France, said the findings support the hypothesis that chronic inflammation may be one mechanism connecting red meat and type 2 diabetes. He said further studies are needed to determine whether Neu5Gc itself is responsible or whether other components of red meat, including heme iron, play a larger role. Future work, the researchers said, will directly measure antibodies to Neu5Gc and examine its relationship with other red-meat compounds.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
