A study of nearly 90 thousand participants has identified a molecule that the body recognises as foreign. Researchers are investigating whether immune response and chronic inflammation can explain the connection between red meat and type 2 diabetes

Red meat contains a type of sugar that the human organism cannot produce on its own and that the immune system can be known as a foreign substance. According to a new French study, this molecule can help explain the connection between red meat consumption and the development of Type 2 diabetes.

Preliminary results presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes’s annual meeting ( The EASD reports that those who consumed the largest amounts of this molecule had 63 percent higher risk of diabetes than those who took smaller amounts.

However, scientists point out that the link does not testify that the substance directly causes the disease.

What is Neu5Gc, and why does the organism react to it?

Molecule is called N-glicolneuranik acid, or Neu5Gc, and it is found especially in beef and lamb, and in smaller quantities in milk products.

Most mammals naturally produce this substance, but humans have lost it because of an ancient genetic mutation.

When we consume food containing Neu5Gc, part of the molecule can be included in our tissues. The immune system can recognize it as foreign and produce antibodies against it.

This may trigger an inflammatory reaction known as xenosyal.

Researchers are investigating whether this process affects insulin – producing cells and related tissue.

Nearly 90 thousand people were followed for more than seven years

Study included 89.953 participants from the French project NutriNet-Santé, which analyses the relationship between nutrition and health.

Average age was 42, and 79 percent of the participants were women.

At first, no one had diabetes or cancer. During the period of persecution media of 7.2 years, 966 individuals developed Type 2.

Researchers analyzed food records and assessed the amount of Neu5Gc that participants received from meat and milk products.

Photo: foodphotoex

The Danger Has Grown With the Greatest Use

The results showed that Neu5Gc’s high – intake group had 63 percent higher risk of diabetes, while the following group had 41 percent higher risk.

The connection remained present even after age, physical activity, smoking, quality of nutrition, and health were taken into account.

In the group with the highest acquisition, men consumed an average of 97 grams of red meat a day, while women consumed 73 grams.

When the processed meat products were included, the amounts reached 136 and 96 grams respectively.

However, the 63 percent increase is relative and does not mean that 63 percent of participants developed diabetes.

Is sugar or red meat responsible?

That remains one of the most important questions.

When researchers took into account the body mass index, the link weakened, but statistically significant remained.

However, when the analysis included the total amount of consumed red meat, the relationship was no longer statistically significant.

This means that it cannot be determined whether Neu5Gc is responsible for the danger or if other meat components influence.

Interestingly, Neu5Gc of milk products did not relate to diabetes.

According to lead author Dr. Leopold Fseu, of Sorbonne University Paris Nord, these results suggest that the molecule’s food source may be important.

Should we avoid red meat?

Researchers do not recommend hasty conclusions based solely on these results.

They plan to examine other meat components, including air iron, and to measure antibodies against Neu5Gc.

It will also be investigated if replacing a part of red meat with poultry or plant protein can help prevent diabetes.

The results are still preliminary and do not experience cause-passing relations. However, they open up a new research direction to see how food ingredients can affect inflammation and the development of Type 2 diabetes. /Telegraphy/