The Study
Associations of processed meat and unprocessed red meat intake with incident diabetes: the Strong Heart Family Study.
This study watched a group of people over time to see who got diabetes and what they ate. It found that people who ate more processed meat like spam were more likely to get diabetes, but it can't prove that the meat caused the diabetes—other factors might be involved.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at what American Indian adults ate and whether they got diabetes over 5 years. They wanted to see if eating processed meats like spam or hot dogs was linked to diabetes, and if regular red meat like steak was different.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 555 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, the result is meaningful—especially for communities with high processed meat consumption.
- 2Replacing spam with healthier protein sources could help lower diabetes risk.
- 3People who ate the most processed meat had 63% higher odds of getting diabetes.
- 4Those who ate the most spam had more than double the odds.
- 5Eating regular red meat like beef or steak was not linked to higher diabetes risk.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The American journal of clinical nutrition
Year
2012
Authors
A. Fretts, B. Howard, B. McKnight, G. Duncan, S. Beresford, M. Mete, S. Eilat-Adar, Ying Zhang, D. Siscovick
Related Content
Claims (6)
Regular red meat, like steak or roast, isn't the same as processed stuff like bacon or hot dogs — they're made differently and might affect your health in different ways, so experts say we shouldn't treat them the same when studying their health effects.
If you're an American Indian adult, eating more processed meat like bacon or hot dogs might increase your chances of getting type 2 diabetes over time—especially if you eat a lot compared to others.
Eating unprocessed red meat like beef or pork doesn’t seem to raise the risk of getting type 2 diabetes in American Indian adults — people who eat the most don’t have a higher chance than those who eat the least.
Eating a lot of Spam might double your chances of getting type 2 diabetes, especially in American Indian communities where it's commonly eaten.
Eating a lot of lunch meat might increase the chance of getting type 2 diabetes in American Indian adults — especially if you eat the most compared to others — but hot dogs, sausage, and other processed meats don’t seem to have the same effect.
Eating processed meat is linked to a higher chance of getting type 2 diabetes in American Indian adults, and while being overweight plays a role, there's still a connection even after accounting for weight — meaning other factors are also involved.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.