This Type of Iron in Red Meat Can Raise Your Risk of Diabetes

Key Takeaways

• Red meat contains a particular kind of iron called heme iron that's tied to many chronic health conditions.
• In a new study, adults who ate the most heme-iron-containing foods were most likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
• You can reduce your diabetes risk by limiting the amount of red meat you eat, and opt instead for unprocessed plant-based protein.

Red meat contains a type of iron that may increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes , a new study suggests.

For the study, scientists examined 36 years of dietary reports from more than 200,000 adults, assessing their intake of various forms of iron from foods and supplements. Participants who ate the most foods high in heme iron (found in red meat and other animal proteins) were 26 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who consumed the smallest amounts of these foods, according to results published in Nature Metabolism .

In particular, more than half of the type 2 diabetes risk associated with unprocessed red meat could be explained by its high heme iron content, the analysis found.

But non-heme iron - the kind found in unprocessed plant proteins - and iron supplements didn't appear to have a meaningful impact on type 2 diabetes risk.

"Reducing heme iron intake from red meat, and incorporating more plant-based protein sources, such as legumes , tofu , nuts , and seeds, can be effective strategies for lowering diabetes risk," says the senior study author, Frank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH , a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

Importantly, those plant-based protein sources don't necessarily include processed meat alternatives, which, although plant-based, use heme to enhance their flavor and appearance.

Why Is Heme Iron Harmful?

Heme iron is found in blood and muscle tissue, and it's absorbed more easily by the body than the non-heme iron found in plants. Higher consumption of heme iron has been linked to a wide variety of health issues, including a condition known as iron overload, when organ damage occurs because the body stores too much iron; and oxidative stress, an imbalance of antioxidants in the body - both of which can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, Dr. Hu says.

To get a better idea of how heme iron might lead to type 2 diabetes, Hu and his colleagues examined blood test results for a subset of almost 38,000 participants. They found that higher heme iron intake was associated with several blood biomarkers related to insulin levels, blood sugar, lipids, inflammation, and iron metabolism.

Researchers also examined substances in blood plasma for a subset of about 9,000 participants and identified a dozen so-called metabolites, or products produced by cellular activity, that have previously been associated with type 2 diabetes.

The study wasn't a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how heme iron might directly cause type 2 diabetes. One limitation of the analysis is that the participants were mostly white, making it possible that results might differ for people from other racial or ethnic groups.

There Are Several Ways to Reduce Heme Iron in Your Diet

"Red meat, such as beef, pork, and lamb, contains significantly higher amounts of heme iron than fish or chicken," Hu says. "Therefore, for individuals who regularly consume red meat, the most effective way to reduce heme iron intake is to decrease their red meat consumption."

Katherine Livingstone, PhD , of the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, says, "Reducing processed red meat will also lower the intake of nitrates and nitrites, which are linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes."

Dr. Livingstone, who was not involved in the new study, offers this summary of ways to reduce heme iron in your diet:

• Avoid red meat, processed meat, and organ meat.
• Choose unprocessed plant-based proteins such as beans, legumes, and pulses, as well as eggs.
• Opt for fish and lean white meat, such as turkey.
• Fill half your plate with vegetables and be sure to include a variety of colors.
• Limit alcohol and foods high in sugar, as these increase non-heme iron absorption.

If you do eat red meat, make sure to consume it in moderation to minimize your risk, Hu says. "Infrequent consumption, such as a couple of times per week, is unlikely to have a significant impact on health," he says.

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Sources

1. Wang F et al. Integration of Epidemiological and Blood Biomarker Analysis Links Haem Iron Intake to Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk. Nature Metabolism . August 13, 2024.

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Lisa Rapaport

Author

Lisa Rapaport is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience on the health beat as a writer and editor. She holds a master's degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and spent a year as a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in dozens of local and national media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, WNYC, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times , Scientific American , San Jose Mercury News , Oakland Tribune , Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, The Sacramento Bee , and The Buffalo News . See full bio See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network