The analysis found that participants with the highest estimated intake of N-glycolylneuraminic acid, known as Neu5Gc, from meat had a 63% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest intake. The findings were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Milan, held from 28 September to 2 October.
Researchers stressed that the results were observational and could not establish that the sugar causes diabetes. Crucially, the association weakened and was no longer statistically significant after the investigators accounted for total red meat consumption, leaving open the possibility that Neu5Gc reflects exposure to other components of meat.
The investigation drew on 89,953 adults participating in France’s NutriNet-Santé study, which examines relationships between diet, lifestyle and health. Participants were free of type 2 diabetes and cancer when enrolled. Their average age was 42, and women accounted for 79% of the sample.
Over a median follow-up of 7.2 years, researchers identified 966 new cases of type 2 diabetes. They estimated Neu5Gc consumption using three 24-hour dietary records completed by participants and a database measuring the molecule’s concentration in different foods.
Participants were divided into five groups according to their estimated intake of meat-derived Neu5Gc. The second-highest consumption group showed a 41% greater diabetes risk than the lowest group, while the highest group showed the 63% increase. These comparisons accounted for factors including age, sex, physical activity, smoking, overall dietary quality and existing health conditions.
The association persisted, although at reduced strength, when body mass index was included in the statistical analysis. Investigators estimated that obesity explained 13% of the observed relationship, suggesting that body weight alone might not account for the pattern.
Lead researcher Leopold Fezeu, of Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, said the findings supported chronic inflammation as one possible explanation connecting red meat intake with diabetes, partly independently of body fat. He cautioned that the amount of Neu5Gc required to provoke an immune response remains unknown.
Neu5Gc is a sugar molecule found in many mammals, particularly in beef and lamb, and in smaller quantities in dairy foods. Humans cannot manufacture it naturally because of a genetic change affecting the CMAH gene. However, the molecule can enter human tissues after consumption of animal products.
Scientists believe that the immune system may recognise incorporated Neu5Gc as foreign and produce antibodies against it. Sustained immune activity, sometimes described as xenosialitis, could contribute to inflammation. Whether that process directly increases diabetes risk in people remains unproven.
The investigators examined Neu5Gc from dairy products separately and found no significant association with diabetes incidence. That distinction complicates any explanation based solely on the molecule itself and suggests that the food source or accompanying dietary factors could matter.
Meat consumption differed markedly across the exposure groups. Among participants with the highest Neu5Gc intake, men consumed a median 97 grams of red meat daily and women 73 grams. Corresponding figures in the lowest group were five grams for men and none for women.
Processed meats, including sausages, bacon and cured products, were recorded separately in the dietary assessment. The researchers also considered the participants’ overall energy intake, with the principal pattern remaining consistent across calorie levels.
The study adds a possible biological explanation to an established body of observational evidence associating greater red meat consumption with type 2 diabetes. Nevertheless, dietary records can contain inaccuracies, and unmeasured differences between participants may influence the results. The conference findings also await assessment through peer-reviewed publication.
The reported 63% figure represents a relative difference between groups, not a 63% probability that an individual will develop diabetes. The study recorded 966 diagnoses among almost 90,000 participants over the observation period. Because the comparison involves estimated dietary exposure rather than a controlled intervention, it cannot show what would happen if someone specifically reduced Neu5Gc consumption while keeping other habits unchanged.
The researchers said further investigation would be needed to distinguish the effects of Neu5Gc from those of other meat constituents and to determine whether inflammatory responses explain the observed differences. The French cohort’s predominantly female composition is another consideration when assessing how broadly its findings apply.
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