SEATTLE—Native Americans living in rural areas with limited access to healthy foods who consume canned processed meats commonly known as ‘spam’ have a twofold higher incidence of diabetes, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. There was no association between unprocessed red meat and a higher risk of diabetes.
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine examined the associations of usual intake of processed meat with incident diabetes in Native Americans who participated in the Strong Heart Family Study. Participants were free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease at baseline and used food-frequency questionnaires to document dietary intake.
After a 5-year follow-up, 243 incident cases of diabetes were identified. Among the 500 people in the original study group who ate the most canned processed meat, 85 developed diabetes. In contrast, among the 500 people who ate the least amount of "spam," just 44 developed the disease.
The researchers concluded consumption of processed meat, such as spam, but not unprocessed red meat, was associated with higher risk of diabetes in Native Americans, a rural population at high risk of diabetes and with limited access to healthy foods.
