'Western' diet linked to type 2 diabetes in men

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'Western' diet linked to type 2 diabetes in men

NEW YORK, Feb 04 (Reuters Health) - A diet heavy in processed meat, red

meat, high-fat dairy products and sweets may substantially increase a

man's odds of developing type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a

large US study.

On the other hand, diets rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables,

fish and poultry may offer some protection against the disease,

researchers report in Tuesday's issue of the ls of Internal

Medicine.

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body can no longer

properly use insulin, a pancreatic hormone that helps shuttle the

glucose (sugar) in food from the blood and into cells to be used as

energy. The condition is closely related to obesity.

In the current study, researchers at Harvard University and the National

Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands found

that, independent of obesity and other factors, a heavily " western " diet

was associated with a 59% increase in a man's risk of type 2 diabetes.

And the combination of following this diet, getting little exercise and

being obese conferred a " particularly high " risk, according to Dr.

B. Hu of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, and his

colleagues.

The researchers base their conclusions on data from a long-running study

of male health professionals in the US, who were between the ages of 40

and 75 at the study's outset. Hu's team tracked dietary habits and new

diagnoses of type 2 diabetes among 42,500 men between 1986 and 1998.

The investigators found that men whose diets were largely

" western " --defined as being heavy in foods such as beef, processed meat,

refined grains, French fries and sugary drinks and desserts--were at

increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

In contrast, a " prudent " diet rich in whole grains, produce, legumes,

fish and poultry offered modest protection against the disease, the

report indicates.

Over the study period, about 1,300 men developed type 2 diabetes. Men

with the highest intakes of the so-called prudent foods were 16% less

likely than men with the lowest intakes to be diagnosed with the

disease.

Hu's team notes that obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2

diabetes. And research shows that losing weight can cut the risk of the

disease or even reverse the condition in some people.

" However, " the researchers conclude, " in addition to balancing total

(calorie) intake with expenditure to prevent weight gain, avoiding a

western dietary pattern may substantially reduce risk for type 2

diabetes in men. "

They note that further research needs to confirm the association in

women and various ethnic groups, as the men in this study were

predominantly white.

SOURCE: ls of Internal Medicine 2002;136:201-209.