Surprising study finds beef doesn’t worsen blood sugar or diabetes risk

The study, titled “Effects of Diets Containing Beef Compared with Poultry on Pancreatic β -Cell Function and Other Cardiometabolic Health Indicators in Males and Females with Prediabetes: A Randomized, Crossover Trial,” appeared in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition.

“Results from this gold standard RCT build on existing scientific evidence that shows eating beef as part of a healthy dietary pattern supports heart health and does not adversely impact measures of blood sugar regulation or inflammation,” said Kevin C Maki, PhD, Adjunct Professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, and senior author of the article. “When beef is consumed as part of a healthy dietary pattern, it helps fill essential nutritional gaps and does not adversely impact the cardiometabolic risk profile compared to poultry.”

Beef and Poultry Showed Similar Metabolic Effects

The clinical trial included 24 adults (17 males and 7 females; ages 18-74 years) who had overweight or obesity along with prediabetes, but were otherwise generally healthy. Researchers used a crossover design, meaning every participant followed both diet plans during the study.

Each participant completed two separate 28-day diet periods with a 28-day washout period in between. During the interventions, participants ate two meals daily that included either cooked beef or poultry. Each entrée contained approximately 3.0-3.5 ounces of meat and was served in foods such as fajitas, burgers, stew, burritos, and stir fry.

Researchers Examined Blood Sugar and Insulin Function

Type 2 diabetes usually develops gradually as the body becomes more resistant to insulin over time. At the same time, pancreatic β-cells, which produce insulin, often lose their ability to function properly. To evaluate how the diets affected glucose regulation, researchers measured pancreatic β-cell function, insulin sensitivity, and glucoregulatory hormones before and after each dietary phase.

After 28 days, researchers found no statistically significant differences between the beef and poultry diets for any of the measures related to pancreatic β-cell function or insulin sensitivity. In other words, daily consumption of unprocessed beef produced results similar to poultry in this group of adults with prediabetes.

“The study findings suggest that regular beef intake does not adversely affect metabolic or inflammatory risk factors compared with poultry in an at-risk prediabetic population,” noted Indika Edirisinghe, PhD, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, Illinois Institute of Technology. “Although the study duration was relatively short (one month), this time frame is generally considered sufficient to detect measurable metabolic outcomes.”

Study Funding and Oversight

The research received funding from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. According to the researchers, the organization was not involved in collecting or analyzing the data and did not participate in the publication process, aside from reviewing a draft of the manuscript before submission.