Eating meat raises Type 2 diabetes risk

In 1989, actress Halle Berry passed out while filming a television show. She woke up seven days later to learn she had Type 2 diabetes. After her hospital discharge, Berry made some serious changes in her diet. One was to stop eating red meat.

At that time, research suggested that regularly consuming red meat was associated with being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and should be avoided. Now research suggests that eating any meat — chicken as well as beef, sausage, pork, lamb, etc. — is associated with developing the condition.

A new study, published in Diabetes, found that eating an additional 100 grams (about 3 ounces) of total meat or red meat daily increases your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes by 33 percent and 31 percent respectively. If you’re also eating 1.7 ounces a day of processed meat, your risk of diabetes increases by 46 percent.

If you don’t become a vegetarian or vegan, always avoid red and processed meats. Also, no fried foods. And if you’re worried about protein, remember there are plant-based options — including beans, nuts and tofu — that can provide all the protein you need.

Vitamin D levels and cancer

A new study published in Seminars in Cancer Biology points out that in addition to being a vital element in bone health and immune strength, vitamin D’s cancer-preventing powers are pretty impressive. Plus, vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of colon, breast, prostate and blood cancers.

To reap D’s benefits, you need to know how you respond to vitamin D2/ D3 supplements (we really don’t know if D2 or D3 is better). The researchers from Finland and Spain say some people are low responders and need higher doses to gain the benefits; some folks are high responders. That’s why it is so important to get a blood test to establish your baseline blood level and initial dose. And you should go back in two or three months for another test to see if your blood level has gone up enough. If not, increase your dose.

Our recommendation is that you get 10 minutes a day of sun exposure without sunscreen and take a supplement dose that gives you a blood level reading of 50 to 80 nanograms per milliliter. The standard recommendations are to aim for 20 ng/ml to 30 ng/ml, but between indoor living, sunscreen and poor nutrition, we think the higher blood level is beneficial, with no risks.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.