Sugar in red meat linked to 63% higher type 2 diabetes risk

A large French observational study of 89,953 adults found that those with the highest intake of Neu5Gc, a sugar found in beef and lamb, had a 63% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than the lowest-intake group. The association stayed significant after adjusting for lifestyle and diet and weakened but persisted after accounting for BMI.

• 89,953 participants, median 7.2-year follow-up, 966 new type 2 diabetes cases
• Highest Neu5Gc intake group: 63% higher risk; second-highest: 41% higher
• Researchers point to chronic inflammation (xenosialitis) triggered by the foreign sugar
• Findings presented at EASD in Milan; the study is observational