Minimally Processed Red Meat Can Work in Weight Loss Diet With Diabetes

THURSDAY, Sept. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A normal-protein diet that excludes red meat and a high-protein diet that contains minimally processed lean beef are similarly effective at producing weight loss and improvements in glucose control among individuals with type 2 diabetes, according to a study recently published online in Obesity.

Julianne G. Clina, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues compared a high-protein diet (four or more weekly servings of lean beef) and a normal-protein diet without red meat for weight loss, body composition changes, and glucose control in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The analysis included 106 adults (80 women) participating in a 52-week weight loss intervention.

The researchers found that weight loss did not differ between the groups (high protein: −10.2 kg; normal protein: −12.7 kg). Additionally, reduced fat mass and higher fat-free mass percent were seen in both groups. There were no significant differences between the groups for hemoglobin A1c, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and triglycerides improvement.

"Avoiding red meat, including beef, does not provide additional benefit for weight loss or improvements in glucose control during a weight loss intervention," the authors write.

The study was funded by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

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