Red meat, processed meat and chicken linked to type 2 diabetes in large study

A pooled analysis of nearly 2 million adults linked each meat type to higher diabetes risk: strongest for processed meat, weakest and least certain for chicken.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Eating more meat was linked to modestly higher diabetes risk: about 10% per 100 g/day of red meat, 15% per 50 g/day of processed meat and 8% per 100 g/day of chicken. Observational, not proof. Evidence grade B (Moderate). Individual-participant meta-analysis of 31 prospective cohorts (1.97 million adults); observational data can't prove cause and effect.

Key takeaways

In a pooled analysis of 31 cohorts and nearly 2 million adults, each 100 g/day of unprocessed red meat was linked to about 10% higher risk of type 2 diabetes [1].
Processed meat showed the strongest link: about 15% higher risk per 50 g/day [1].
Chicken and turkey were linked to about 8% higher risk per 100 g/day, but that finding weakened under other modelling choices [1].
Replacing processed meat with unprocessed red meat or poultry was linked to lower diabetes risk [1].
In an earlier feeding trial, red and white meat raised LDL ('bad') cholesterol by similar amounts compared with plant proteins [2].

What the study did

Researchers pooled 31 long-running cohort studies from 20 countries, following nearly 2 million adults for a median of about 10 years [1]. They analysed the participants' own data with the same plan in every cohort and looked at unprocessed red meat, processed meat and poultry separately [1]. During follow-up, 107,271 people developed type 2 diabetes [1].

What it found

Each 100 g/day of unprocessed red meat was linked to a 10% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and each 50 g/day of processed meat to a 15% higher risk [1]. Poultry (chicken and turkey) showed a smaller link - about 8% higher risk per 100 g/day - that weakened under different modelling assumptions [1]. Replacing processed meat with unprocessed red meat or poultry was linked to a lower risk [1].

How it fits

The red-meat results line up with earlier pooled analyses of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [3]. White meat is not a free pass, though: in a controlled feeding trial, red and white meat raised LDL ("bad") cholesterol by similar amounts compared with plant proteins [2], and a 2026 follow-up of the same trial found no differences in insulin sensitivity between the diets [4]. For other outcomes, poultry tends to look better - replacing red meat with poultry was linked to about 12% lower coronary heart disease risk [5] and higher white meat intake to slightly lower all-cause mortality [6]. A 2026 analysis also found no clear link between white meat and colorectal cancer, while red and processed meat were linked to higher risks [7].

Limits

This kind of study watches people rather than assigning them to diets, so it shows links, not cause and effect [1]. The effects are small for an individual person [1]. Results were clearest in North America, Europe and the Western Pacific; in other regions the estimates were too imprecise [1]. Two authors reported past dairy-industry funding for unrelated work [1]. The main safety concerns for meat are these long-term risk links, which are strongest for processed meat [3][8]; see Red Meat and Poultry for details.

Go deeper

Red Meat — Lean, unprocessed red meat can fit inside a Mediterranean-style eating pattern: in a feeding trial, more lean beef or pork did not worsen most cardiometabolic…
Poultry — Poultry is the mildest of the meats in large studies: higher intake is linked to slightly lower all-cause mortality, and swapping red meat for poultry is linke…