Ham has hit the headlines as a potential cause of type 2 diabetes but a leading expert says there are many other culprits behind the UK’s estimated 1 million undiagnosed diabetes cases. There is even increasing evidence that many diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners affect blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and our gut microbiome.
A new medical study has captured headlines by suggesting two slices of ham a day can raise type 2 diabetes risk by 15%. However, processed meat is far from being the only cause of the surge in diabetes cases, says a leading expert. One supposedly healthy diet choice could be causing unexpected harm.
New research published in this September’s issue of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology won headlines across the UK for its finding that processed meat and unprocessed red meat are risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. It lead to media reports that the regular daily consumption of 50g of processed meat – equivalent to two slices of ham – is associated with a 15% higher risk of type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years.
However, a leading expert says processed meat is far from being the only culprit behind Britain’s diabetes epidemic. Even some supposedly healthy food and drink products may be contributing to the increase in cases.
Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: ‘Our latest analysis reveals one million people in the UK are likely to have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. This invisible killer shortens lives by up to ten years. That’s why we launched our “Give the finger to diabetes” campaign to identify undiagnosed cases with a simple fingerprick blood test. In 2019, there were almost 14,000 diabetes-related deaths in the UK. The earlier people are diagnosed, the better the outcome.
‘Until now, sugar-free diet drinks have been regarded as the healthier alternative to “full fat” fizzy drinks such as colas, lemonades and energy drinks. While scientists – and even wise mums and dads – have long suspected that diets containing processed meat and fizzy drinks are part of the cause, fewer people realise that there is strong evidence that many types of artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks (and some foods) affect our blood sugar levels, worsen insulin resistance and alter our gut flora.
‘People who have one or more cans of fizzy drink a day have a 26% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Sugary drinks rapidly increase blood sugar levels and this can lead to tiredness and increased hunger even in people without diabetes. However, while fizzy drinks are generally off-limits for Britain’s 4.3 million registered diabetics (except in emergencies when their blood sugar levels need to rise rapidly), it’s not been thought that diet drinks pose a risk for diabetics or anyone trying to lose weight. However, our analysis of the latest research finds that saccharin and sucralose are likely to increase blood sugar or glucose levels and adversely impact the gut microbiome (the collection of organisms that live in our digestive tracts).
‘Researchers at John Hopkins University recently tested random groups of healthy, non-diabetic people and found that participants taking saccharin and sucralose had noticeable spikes in their blood sugar levels. The researchers discovered that these sweeteners were influencing changes in bacteria in the gut and mouth. Changes were also identified in their blood samples. In fact, the blood metabolite changes in those people consuming saccharin and sucralose were so marked they were similar to those in people with diabetes or vascular diseases.
‘The researchers concluded that “some commonly consumed non-nutritive sweeteners may not be physiologically inert in humans as previously contemplated.” Gut microbiome changes can cause spikes in blood glucose, impairing the body’s ability to effectively regulate glucose levels.
‘Concerningly, it’s not just saccharin and sucralose-based sweeteners that are under investigation. Two recent trials reported in “Nutrition Reviews” have shown that consumption of another popular sweetener, aspartame, may affect our body’s concentrations of glucose, insulin and a hormone that reduces appetite and releases insulin called “glucagon-like peptide 1”.
‘The root cause of some of these results is still being debated. Intriguing research published in the “Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care” in 2020 investigated the possibility that, due to their sweet taste, ingestion of artificial sweeteners confuses our body and results in the erroneous release of insulin from the pancreas. This increases the levels of insulin in our blood..
‘Alarming discoveries like these latest artificial sweetener findings emphasise why Britain’s 4.3 million diabetics need regular, accurate blood testing. While “old school” traditional fingerprick tests using meters and strips are worthwhile, the next-gen “HbA1c” fingerprick tests are so sensitive that they could replace diabetics’ annual visits to their surgery for a full HbA1c blood test.
‘London Medical Laboratory’s fingerprick HbA1c “Diabetes – Diagnosis and Monitoring” test is considered the gold standard in regular testing. It is used to measure the average level of blood glucose over the past two to three months and both accurately monitor and diagnose diabetes. It can be taken at home through the post or at one of the many drop-in clinics that offer these tests across London and nationwide in over 120 selected pharmacies and health stores. For full details, see: https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/diabetes-check