Associations of processed meat and unprocessed red meat intake with incident diabetes: the Strong Heart Family Study.

Generous intake of processed meats, such as spam, may increase the risk of diabetes among American Indians.

This study evaluated the correlation between processed and unprocessed red meat intake and diabetes risk among American Indians. Using block food frequency questionnaires, researchers assessed the rate of consumption of unprocessed and processed red meat, such as spam, of a cohort of American Indians with no previous history of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases recruited from the Strong Heart Family Study. The diabetes odds ratio of each participant in this study was also determined.

Researchers observed a higher incidence of diabetes among subjects who regularly consumed large amounts of processed meats, particularly spam. In contrast, high intake of unprocessed red meat was found to have little or no effect on diabetes risk. The results of this study show that American Indians who are frequent consumers of processed meats are more likely to develop diabetes than those who rarely or do not eat processed meat products.