There are different types of iron. Heme iron is found in red meat and other animal products. Non-heme iron can be found in plants. New research has linked heme iron to a higher risk of developing blood sugar concerns.
Older studies suggested a link between heme iron and blood sugar concerns. However, this study was much more complex and used multiple methods to investigate the link.
“Compared to prior studies that relied solely on epidemiological data, we integrated multiple layers of information, including epidemiological data, conventional metabolic biomarkers, and cutting-edge metabolomics,” said lead author Fenglei Wang, research associate in the Department of Nutrition. “This allowed us to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the association between iron intake and [blood sugar concerns] risk, as well as potential metabolic pathways underlying this association.”
The study used 36 years’ of dietary information from 204,615 people. The participants were 79 percent female. They looked at the plasma metabolic biomarkers of 37,544 of the participants. And, they used the metabolic profiles of 9,024 participants to get a clear view of how heme iron impacted the body.
A minor but interesting finding was that heme iron negatively impacted the health of thin people more than larger people. Obesity can affect the body’s ability to store iron, which may account for the difference. The largest takeaway was that people who ate the highest amount of heme iron had a 26 percent higher risk of developing a serious blood sugar concern than people who ate the least. Many meat-heavy diets, like paleo, keto and Atkins are praised for aiding weight loss. But they are difficult to maintain for a long time. And they have medical risks attached to them.
“In all my years as a dietitian,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Melanie Murphy Richter. “I’ve never encountered such a strong emotional attachment to a specific macronutrient. Protein has become the dietary darling, and anyone who challenges its prominence — no matter how well-supported by evidence — can expect significant backlash. However, the truth is that excessive protein consumption, particularly from animal sources like meat, eggs and dairy, has been well documented to accelerate aging and increase the risk of age-related diseases such as [blood sugar concerns], cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.”
Not all plant-based diets are healthy. Artificial meat is highly processed and can be as unhealthy as regular red meat. It can also have added heme iron.
However, understanding that some people don’t want to be vegan or vegetarian, they advised avoiding red meat as a great option. According to Dr. Frank Hu of Harvard, “they can also replace it with poultry or fish and healthy plant-based proteins like nuts and legumes.”
