I rarely post but frequently check in. Lots of good information here. Thanks to all.
Lately have been paying a lot of attention to health posts. My Dad recently died from a heart attack. He was close-mouthed to the extreme. We his family had not known that he had CHD and was (probably) diabetic. Even his SO with whom he lived didn't know. He'd seemed to be, and certainly portrayed himself, as unusually healthy for mid-80s. More, it's not clear whether his heart issues developed relatively late in life or had been present in his early 50s (i.e., apparent early heart attack), which - if so - has familial implications.
Anyhow, I pulled up the original study from the Mark's Daily Apple link. WOW !!!
All of the forum comments - family history, the "Big Mac" factor *are* highly relevant and *would* distort results. Based upon a granted quick perusal, the adjustments made by the authors - including the dietary - seem to have been pretty sophisticated. That's not to say there isn't room for a critical evaluation ... but it should be that, particularly for publication on a website that I assume purports to provide health advice.
My beef
is that it's hard enough for those of us trying to sort it all out ...
But the OP wanted to know what others thought.
My take is that the bottom line of the study isn't that earth-shattering - even assuming there a real-world 19% increase in type-2 diabetes among red meat eaters. That does NOT strike me as "large" enough that many otherwise healthy folks would then choose to avoid red meat. The nitrites maybe (personally).
More, what does strike me about the "meat wars" is that at least some studies showing benefits to an Atkins-paleo approach are predicated upon simultaneously reducing the carbo load - not just McD FFs, but a broad range of carbs. What is the impact of saturated fats if carbs aren't removed from the diet? It's possible for vegans to point to health benefits in societies that have limited meat resources and for paleos to reference groups that have existed largely on meat-based proteins. But high-fat *and* high-carb (our society)?
Here, found a new study potentially interesting - coffee with a high fat intake can inhibit the availability of insulin to remove the sugars in the blood from carbohydrates. High fat alone struck me as potentially problematic, although that wasn't the study focal point.
Coffee with a fatty meal raises blood sugar to diabetes level
Sorry for being so long-winded (particularly since I don't post much). Probably not good forum behavior.