Cutting down on processed meats, simple carbs could help you avoid diabetes, study finds

BOSTON — If you want to avoid getting diabetes, a new study finds there are at least two types of food you should avoid.

A recent study from Tufts University found that dietary factors are behind the majority of new cases of type 2 diabetes around the world.  

The largest factors were excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates like refined rice, pasta, starches, and sugars, eating too much processed meat, like bacon, sausage, and hot dogs, and insufficient intake of whole grains. 

Simple carbohydrates cause a spike in blood sugar which over time increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas complex carbs or whole grains are absorbed more slowly and do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar.  

Experts say improving access to high-quality foods could have a huge impact on the burden of type 2 diabetes worldwide.

In:
• Health
• Diabetes
• Type-2 Diabetes

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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