Nutrition & DietRed meat sugar Neu5Gc linked to 63% higher type 2 diabetes risk
Red meat contains a little-known sugar called Neu5Gc, and a new French study suggests eating more of it may raise the risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers followed 89,953 adults in the NutriNet-Santé cohort and found that those with the highest intake of meat-derived Neu5Gc had a 63% higher risk of developing diabetes than those with the lowest. Humans lost the ability to make Neu5Gc through an ancient gene mutation, so the immune system may treat it as foreign when it is absorbed from food. That could trigger lasting low-grade inflammation, which is already tied to heart disease and cancer. The link held after adjusting for physical activity, diet quality, smoking and existing health conditions. It weakened, but stayed significant, after accounting for body mass index. The results are preliminary and observational, so they show association rather than proof of cause.
