Surprising study finds beef doesn’t worsen blood sugar or diabetes risk
Key takeaways
- "When beef is consumed as part of a healthy dietary pattern, it helps fill essential nutritional gaps and does not adversely impact the cardiometabolic risk profile compared to poultry."
- Beef and Poultry Showed Similar Metabolic Effects
- The clinical trial included 24 adults (17 males and 7 females; ages 18-74 years) who had overweight or obesity along with prediabetes, but were otherwise generally healthy.
Why this matters: new research or scientific developments with potential real-world impact.
More than 135 million adults in the United States either have type 2 diabetes (T2D) or face an elevated risk of developing the condition, increasing the demand for reliable nutrition guidance backed by scientific research. A newly published randomized controlled trial (RCT) found that eating 6 to 7 ounces of beef each day did not negatively affect blood sugar regulation, insulin function, inflammation, or other cardiometabolic health markers in adults with prediabetes.
The study, titled "Effects of Diets Containing Beef Compared with Poultry on Pancreatic -Cell Function and Other Cardiometabolic Health Indicators in Males and Females with Prediabetes: A Randomized, Crossover Trial," appeared in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition.
"Results from this gold standard RCT build on existing scientific evidence that shows eating beef as part of a healthy dietary pattern supports heart health and does not adversely impact measures of blood sugar regulation or inflammation," said Kevin C Maki, PhD, Adjunct Professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, and senior author of the article. "When beef is consumed as part of a healthy dietary pattern, it helps fill essential nutritional gaps and does not adversely impact the cardiometabolic risk profile compared to poultry."