It is well established that a high intake of red meats can increase the risk of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, and early death. You may already know that grilling or barbecuing meats may create carcinogenic substances and that eating a lot of red meat – especially processed meats – may have a link with cancer.
A new study suggests that there is a possible link between high-heat meat cooking and type 2 diabetes. The study, published in Diabetes Care by researchers from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Nutrition, found that frequent use of high-heat cooking methods (such as broiling, barbecuing/grilling, and roasting) to prepare beef and chicken increased the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Some of the major findings of this study include:
- Participants who most frequently ate meats and chicken cooked at high temperatures were 1.5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, compared to those who ate the least.
- There was also an increased risk of weight gain and developing obesity in the frequent users of high-temperature cooking methods, which may have contributed to the development of diabetes.
- Cooking methods might contribute to diabetes risk beyond the effects of meat consumption alone.
- Participants who ate red meat and chicken that were cooked to a well-done or charred level showed a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate meat and chicken that were lightly browned.
- The exact mechanisms contributing to the increased risk are not known, but the study cites the potential role of harmful chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic aromatic amines, and nitrosamines (from nitrates and nitrites added to meats as a preservative) formed during high-heat cooking. These chemicals may spur an inflammatory response, interfere with the normal production of insulin, or promote insulin resistance in which the body cannot use insulin properly to regulate blood sugar levels.
In a statement, Gang Liu a Research Fellow at Harvard T.H Chan School of public Health’s Department of Nutrition and lead author of this study opined, “Our research suggests that not only the amount and types of meat but also the cooking methods can make a difference in diabetes risk. To lower diabetes risk, it is important to reduce red and processed meat consumption, which can be replaced by other protein sources such as chicken, fish, and plant-protein foods. This study further suggests that when cooking meats, chicken, or fish, it may be better to avoid high-temperature cooking methods including grilling or barbecuing, and instead choose moderate-temperature cooking methods such as stir-frying, sautéing, boiling, or steaming.”
