Meat-lovers could be at higher odds of diabetes – even if they eat lots of fruit and vegetables.
A long-term study of more than 60,000 women has linked meat, cheese and other ingredients of an ‘acidic diet’ with type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes.
The women who ate the most acid-forming foods were 56 per cent more likely to develop the condition than those whose who ate the least.
A study has linked meat, cheese and other ingredients of an ‘acidic diet’ with type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes.
Fruit and vegetables didn’t completely compensate for the effect and, surprisingly slim women were at particular risk, the journal Diabetologica reports.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease and accounts for about 90 per cent of the 2.9million Britons diagnosed with diabetes.
Almost one million more cases are believed to be undiagnosed.
Fruit and vegetables didn’t completely compensate for the effect
It is usually linked to obesity and sugary foods but the latest study points the finger at meat and other foods that produce acid after being digested.
It is thought the acid raises odds of diabetes by make it harder for the body to turn the sugar from the food we eat into energy.
The French study involved 66,485 women who had their health tracked for 14 years.
The volunteers had given detailed information about their diet which was used to work out how acidic their food was after it was digested.
Some 1,372 women had developed diabetes by the end of the study and diagnoses were particularly common in those with acidic diets.
These include meat, cheese, fish, bread and soft drinks.
The least acid-forming foods include coffee, fruit and vegetables.
The researchers, from the INSERM medical research institute in Paris, said that while oranges and lemons are acidic at the outset, after digestion, they actually reduce the amount of acid in the body.
They said: ‘Contrary to what is generally believed, most fruits such as peaches, apples, pears and bananas and even lemons and oranges actually reduce dietary acid load once the body has processed them.’
Unusually for health studies, the link between meat and other acidic foods and diabetes was stronger for thin women than for fat women.
The researchers aren’t clear why but stress that being overweight is still a major risk factor for the condition.
They added that while they focussed on womeSn, they believe an acidic diet could be equally harmful for men.
And concluded: ‘From a public health perspective, dietary recommendations should not only incriminate specific food groups but also include recommendations on the overall quality of the diet, notably to maintain an adequate acid balance.’
British expert said that more research is needed to confirm the link.
Dr Richard Elliott, of Diabetes UK, said: ‘What we currently know for sure is that the best way to avoid type 2 diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight by getting plenty of exercise and eating a healthy balanced diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat, salt and sugar.’
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