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Last Updated: Jun 30, 2008 - 11:14:37 AM |
MONDAY FEB 4, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Eating two or more servings of red meat per day are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes compared to those who consume much less, according to US researchers who released a study on Tuesday in the journal Circulation.
This same magnitude of meat consumption increased the risk of metabolic syndrome by 25 percent compared to those who had only 2 servings per week or less, the researchers reported.
Metabolic syndrome refers to a range of symptoms including excessive fat around the waist, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure.
A study published in July also found consumption of diet soda was linked to elevated risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Dr. Lyn Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota told Reuters in a phone interview that the link between diet soda and the metabolic syndrome may be due to the dietary patterns followed by the diet soda users.
Steffen suggested those who drank diet soda may believe they have deficiency of calories they may make up without any consequences by eating more food, which has an negative effect on the conditions.
The study involved 9,514 people age 45 to 64 who participate in a study funded by the National heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
In the study, participants were surveyed by answering a 66-item food frequency questionnaire, which divided the study subjects into two groups, a group on "western-pattern" diet and another on "prudent-pattern" diet with more fruit and vegetables and small amounts of fish and chicken.
After nine years, almost 40 percent of subjects developed three or more factors linked to metabolic syndrome, the researchers reported.
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