Harvard Researchers Warn: Heme Iron in Red Meat Increases Type 2 Diabetes Risk by 26%
A new study has found that heme iron, found in red meat and other animal products, is associated with a 26% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to non-heme iron found in plant-based foods.
While previous studies relied solely on epidemiological data, this research “integrated multiple layers of information, including conventional metabolic biomarkers and advanced metabolic studies,” said lead author Fenglei Wang, a research associate at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, USA.
Metabolic research focuses on small molecules in cells and tissues. The study was published in the journal Nature Metabolism.
Harvard researchers warn: Heme iron in red meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26%. (Image: PHUONG LE).
Researchers suggest that reducing red meat intake and adopting a plant-rich diet may help lower the risk of diabetes.
They also expressed concern about the addition of heme iron to increasingly popular plant-based meat alternatives to enhance flavor and appearance.
In this study, researchers utilized dietary reporting data over 36 years from more than 200,000 adults, nearly 80% of whom were women.
Participants were included in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study to examine risk factors for serious chronic diseases.
Researchers analyzed the different forms of iron absorbed by participants, including heme iron, non-heme iron, and iron from supplements, as well as their type 2 diabetes status.
In a smaller group of over 37,000 participants, the research team examined the biological processes behind the association between blood iron levels and type 2 diabetes.
To conduct this study, data on participants’ plasma metabolic biomarkers, including indicators related to insulin levels, blood sugar, lipids, and inflammation, were analyzed.
The researchers also assessed the metabolic profiles of over 9,000 participants, measuring concentrations of small-molecule metabolites in plasma, which originate from bodily processes such as food breakdown or chemical reactions.
They found that blood iron accounted for more than half of the type 2 diabetes risk associated with unprocessed red meat and played a moderate role in the risk linked to several diets related to T2D.
Researchers noted, “We observed that higher heme iron levels are associated with adverse plasma biomarkers in the realms of blood insulin, lipids, inflammation, iron storage, and metabolites related to type 2 diabetes.”
