berries and citrus fruits are considered to be the most protective, as they have the highest
antioxidant content. Based on the results of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and
Nutrition (EPIC), participants who consumed the highest amount of antioxidants had a 59% lower
risk of ischemic stroke than those with the lowest intakes.^114
Type 2 Diabetes
The alarming rise in type 2 diabetes has become one of the biggest indicators of our society’s
nutrition transition in the wrong direction. While many people are becoming more aware of the
need to eat healthy in order to prevent and manage this disease, they mistakenly believe that
controlling their blood sugar levels means avoiding all carbohydrate-containing foods and eating
much more protein. Unfortunately they couldn't be more wrong—eating too much meat actually
increases the risks associated with, diabetes.^115
A meta-analysis of 12 different studies reviewed the link between meat-based diets and type 2
diabetes. The researchers calculated that diets containing high quantities of meat increased the risk
of developing type 2 diabetes by 17%, while high intakes of red meat and processed meats
increased diabetes risk by 21% and 41% respectively.^116
While the factors linking meat consumption with type 2 diabetes are complicated, research seems
to suggest that (like most of the other lifestyle diseases that plague modern society), diabetes is the
result of a high-cholesterol, high-fat, high-sugar, low-nutrient, refined-food eating pattern that lacks
the phytochemicals and other protective compounds found in nutrient-rich plant foods.
The interplay between dietary fat and glucose metabolism has been recognized for more than 60
years. First of all, high-fat diets promote weight gain and, as any doctor would tell you, excess body
weight is the most important risk factor for developing diabetes. Secondly, in experimental animals,
high-fat diets resulted in impaired glucose tolerance. In these models, excess dietary fat altered the
(^114) Del Rio D, Agnoli C, Pellegrini N, et al., Total antioxidant capacity of the diet is associated with lower risk of ischemic
stroke in a large Italian cohort. J Nutr. 2011;141(1):118-123.
(^115) Bazzano LA, Li TY, Joshipura KJ, Hu FB. Intake of fruit, vegetables, and fruit juices and risk of diabetes in women.
Diabetes Care. 2008;31(7):1311-1317.
Kastorini CM, Panagiotakos DB. Dietary patterns and prevention of type 2 diabetes: from research to clinical practice; a
systematic review. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2009;5(4):221-227.
West KM, Kalbfleisch JM. Influence of nutritional factors on prevalence of diabetes. Diabetes. 1971;20:99-108.
West KM. Epidemiology of diabetes and its vascular lesions. New York, NY: Elsevier North-Holland, 1978.
Gear JS, Mann JI, Thorogood M, Carter R, Jelfs R. Biochemical and haematological variables in Vegetarians. Br Med J.
19 80;1:1415.
(^116) Aune D, Ursin G, Veierød MB. Meat consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
of cohort studies. Diabetologia. 2009;52(11):2277-2287.