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Introduction
This episode examines whether unprocessed red meat has a causal role in (1) type 2 diabetes risk and intermediate measures of glucose intolerance (insulin resistance, beta cell dysfunction, glycemic markers) and (2) cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
While there is commonly observed risk signal from observational cohorts, there exist short-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that show largely null effects on glucose homeostasis. This had led to differing opinions and interpretations of the evidence base.
Some feel that in the context of an otherwise healthy diet, there isn’t much to suggest concern about consuming unprocessed red meat. While others are of the view that there does exist a risk and that limiting or even avoiding consumption is prudent.
The crucial concept of replacement effects is discussed. Increasing red meat intake always means decreasing something else or increasing total energy intake. Therefore, interpreting evidence requires specifying the comparator food(s), the background dietary pattern, the dose, the cut (lean vs fatty), and how the meat is prepared.
To discuss their interpretations of this contentious evidence base, Dr. Mario Kratz and Dr. Gil Carvalho join the podcast to go through the studies most directly related to these questions.
Related resources
- Join the Sigma newsletter for free
- Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
- Become a member of Alan Flanagan’s Alinea Nutrition Education Hub
- Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
- Studies mentioned in this episode:
- Azadbakht et al.; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007; 85: 735-41.
- Crimarco et al.; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2020; 112: 1188-99.
- Hassanzadeh-Rostami et al.; Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes 2021; 129: 429-37.
- Hill et al.; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2015; 102: 757-70.
- Hosseinpour-Niazi et al.; European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2015; 69: 592-7.
- Mario’s website: Nourished By Science
- Mario’s YouTube channel: Nourished By Science
- Gil’s YouTube channel: Nutrition Made Simple!
- Previous episodes with these guests:
- [06:20]Red meat’s impact is debated
- [10:54]Mechanisms linking meat to diabetes
- [15:31]Cohort evidence on diabetes risk
- [24:43]Differences between cohorts and threshold effects
- [33:13]RCT evidence and substitution trials
- [45:49]Why comparator foods matter
- [50:43]RCT examples and mixed results
- [01:00:30]Is there cardiovascular risk beyond saturated fat?
- [01:08:10]Epidemiology patterns and dose thresholds
- [01:11:36]Personal recommendations and risk tolerance
- [01:16:19]Key ideas
Guest Information
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Dr. Mario Kratz runs Nourished By Science, a free website and a YouTube channel that shares nuanced, evidence-based information about nutrition as it relates to the prevention of chronic disease.
Until June of 2021, Dr. Kratz held the position of Associate Professor in the Cancer Prevention Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. He was also a faculty member in the Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine as well as the Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington.
During his tenure in academia, Mario’s laboratory conducted clinical research to investigate the relationship between diet, obesity, and chronic diseases. A major focus of his work was on metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Dr. Carvalho trained as a medical doctor in the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and later obtained a PhD in Biology from Caltech (California Institute of Technology). He has published peer-reviewed medical research spanning the fields of genetics, molecular biology, nutrition, behaviour, aging and neuroscience. He creates evidence-based videos on his YouTube channel Nutrition Made Simple!
Introduction to this Episode
This episode examines whether unprocessed red meat has a causal role in (1) type 2 diabetes risk and intermediate measures of glucose intolerance (insulin resistance, beta cell dysfunction, glycemic markers) and (2) cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
While there is commonly observed risk signal from observational cohorts, there exist short-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that show largely null effects on glucose homeostasis. This had led to differing opinions and interpretations of the evidence base.
Some feel that in the context of an otherwise healthy diet, there isnʼt much to suggest concern about consuming unprocessed red meat. While others are of the view that there does exist a risk and that limiting or even avoiding consumption is prudent.
The crucial concept of replacement effects is discussed. Increasing red meat intake always means decreasing something else or increasing total energy intake. Therefore, interpreting evidence requires specifying the comparator food(s), the background dietary pattern, the dose, the cut (lean vs fatty), and how the meat is prepared.
To discuss their interpretations of this contentious evidence base, Dr. Mario Kratz and Dr. Gil Carvalho join the podcast to go through the studies most directly related to these questions.
