Harvard study finds healthy alternative to red meat in controlling Type 2 diabetes

"Nuts to you" no longer is just a derogatory put-down. Instead, for those with a propensity to develop Type 2 diabetes or for those who already have the disease, it may be the starting point to good health.

That's because a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition offers proof that eating red meat and, even more so, processed red meat like bacon and hot dogs, raises the risk of Type 2 diabetes. But replacing just one of those red meat servings a day with nuts or low-fat dairy can lower the risk.

"I could see the value of replacing meat protein with protein from beans and nuts," says Michael S. LaPointe, associate professor of biology at Indiana University Northwest. "It would reduce cholesterol intake and replace 'bad lipids' that are mostly saturated lipids with 'good lipids' oils. Peanut oil contains more good lipids. Other studies have shown that reducing red meat consumption or replacing red meat with fish reduces obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes."

For the 25 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with diabetes and the terrifying trend of more and more people likely to develop it, that means a change in eating habits can help prevent Type 2 diabetes and the health issues associated with it—heart disease, stroke, liver and kidney damage, eye damage, poor healing after amputation and a susceptibility to infections.

Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and an author of the study, recommends eating just one serving of processed meat a week and limiting unprocessed red meat to two or three servings a week. "I think that's the level that above which it appears to be associated with a substantially increased risk," he told the New York Times, noting that the consumption of red meat, including both processed and unprocessed, is very high.

"Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistant and associated mostly with obesity," LaPointe says. "For most Type 2 diabetics, a great reduction in weight and/or increased activity can reverse the disease and the individuals will start responding again to normal insulin levels."

But such a change is a radical alteration of the typical American diet. According to the most recent statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture, the average American eats more than 100 pounds of red meat every year.

"We're talking about switching from a meat-centered diet to a more plant-based diet for the prevention of diabetes and other chronic diseases," Hu says.

The study analyzed 300,000 people between the ages of 25 and 75, and looked at eating and health habits starting in 1976. Findings indicated that eating just 50 grams of processed meat a day—think one hot dog or just a little more than two strips of bacon—increased the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 51 percent.

But don't go overboard on the nuts, says Lori Granich, clinical dietitian at Franciscan St. Margaret Health—Dyer. "It's all about portion control," she says, "but certain fish and nuts like walnuts and almonds are high in omega-3, heart healthy and provide you with protein. Beans are also a good substitute for meat as well."

Granich says that studies show that when we buy nuts in a shell, the work of shelling and the accumulation of broken shells help keep us from overindulging. "It reminds us of how much we've eaten," she says. "But eating a handful of nuts instead of a big burger is a very healthy option."