Meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: an individual-participant federated meta-analysis of 1·97 million adults with 100 000 incident cases from 31 cohorts in 20 countries
An erratum to this article was published (Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol, Feb 2025 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
The consumption of meat, particularly processed meat and unprocessed red meat, is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes across populations. These findings highlight the importance of reducing meat consumption for public health and should inform dietary guidelines.
Study context
- Population
- Adults aged ≥18 years without diabetes at baseline, with dietary and incident T2D data, 31 InterConnect cohorts in the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, European, South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions
- Participants
- 1,966,444 adults31 cohorts
- Comparison
- Higher vs lower consumption of unprocessed red meat, processed meat and poultry
- Outcome
- Incident T2D
- Follow-up
- Median 10 (IQR 7-15) years
Methodological detailsrandom-effects meta-analysis, meta-regression, harmonised analytical approaches, adjusted for potential confounders (including BMI)
- Random-effects meta-analysis
- Meta-regression
- Harmonised analytical approaches
- Adjusted for potential confounders (including BMI)
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Estimate (95% CI)
Unprocessed red meatI2=61%
HR per 100 g/day 1.10(1.06–1.15)
Processed meatI2=59%
HR per 50 g/day 1.15(1.11–1.20)
PoultryI2=68%
HR per 100 g/day 1.08(1.02–1.14)
- Incident T2D cases
- 107 271
Further pooled results
Regional associations
- Positive associations in North America and European and Western Pacific regions; CIs wide in other regions
Heterogeneity sources
- No evidence heterogeneity explained by age, sex or BMI
Poultry sensitivity analyses
- Poultry findings weaker under alternative modelling assumptions
Substitution
- Replacing processed meat with unprocessed red meat or poultry associated with lower incidence of T2D
Original publication
Meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: an individual-participant federated meta-analysis of 1·97 million adults with 100 000 incident cases from 31 cohorts in 20 countries. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. Published September 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →