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Topics: Health, US News, Fitness, Food and Drink
Liv Bridge
A terrifying study has threatened to put us off one common food type for life after finding out it significantly hikes the chances of Type-2 diabetes.
An estimated one in 10 people in the US have diabetes, with Type-2 being the most common.
Without treatment, sufferers could face serious and irreversible long-term health complications, from heart disease and kidney disease to nerve damage, stroke and even vision or limb problems, which can require amputation.
It's clearly in our best interests to try to prevent the onset of the condition as while genetics can be a cause, lifestyle factors such as being overweight and physically inactive can significantly ramp up the risk.
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Now, a new study published last month has examined the role some common foods and drinks in the American diet play for our health, which makes for some shocking revelations.
Researchers at the University of Washington analyzed more than 60 previous studies into processed meat, sugar-sweetened drinks and trans fats, and found 'habitual consumption of even small amounts' of these are linked to type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer.
Horrifyingly, it revealed chomping down on one hot dog regularly, or the equivalent of another processed meat, poses an eye-watering 11 percent type 2 diabetes risk and seven percent risk increase in colorectal cancer.
If that's not bad enough, the study further notes daily consumption of 50g of processed meat (or one 'standard-sized hotdog') was associated with a 30 percent and 26 percent increase in type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer respectively.
"The monotonic increases in health risk with increased consumption of processed meat suggest that there is not a ‘safe’ amount of processed meat consumption with respect to diabetes or colorectal cancer risk," the authors, including Dr. Demewoz Haile, the study’s lead author, wrote.
And it's not just bad news for hot dog lovers either as the study has some pretty gruesome stats for soda stans, too.
It adds regularly glugging down 12-ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages comes with an eight percent risk in Type-2 diabetes, and a two percent risk increase of ischemic heart disease.
Like processed meat, the scientists determined any increase in drinking the sugar-laden beverages came with an increased risk of disease and stressed for the need for more health initiatives to 'avoid and reduce' such drinks from our diets.
The bombshell revelation comes as another study from the University of Michigan found just one can of soda can eat away at our longevity by a jaw-dropping 12 minutes - and a beef hotdog threatens to take away 36 minutes.
“This current research has shown, yet again and consistent with prior research, that to achieve health gains it is best to avoid or minimize the habitual consumption of each of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs),” Dr. Nita Forouhi of the University of Cambridge commented, as per Earth.com.
To prevent the risk in disease, scientists and doctors alike urge people to consider cutting down on their intake of sugary drinks and processed drinks, but doesn't have to be a teetotal approach.
Dr. Gunter Kuhnle from the University of Reading explained: "The goal shouldn’t be perfection but rather a healthy and sensible dietary pattern that allows room for enjoyment."
“My general advice: don’t panic,” he continued. "Food is not just (a) source of nutrients – it plays a central role in culture, pleasure, family life, and social connection.
"Reducing it solely to a list of health risks misses the bigger picture.”