Modelled substitution of meat with dairy products and the 20-year cumulative incidence of type 2 diabetes: Insights from the ATTICA cohort study (2002–2022)

Aim

To evaluate the association between modelled substitution of total, red, and white meat with dairy subtypes (low-fat, full-fat, and fermented) and the 20-year cumulative incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), among apparently healthy adults.

Methods

The present analysis included data from 2000 individuals free of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and T2D at baseline (age 43 ± 13 years; 51% women), participating in the ATTICA cohort study (2002–2022). Food intake was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire.

Results

The 20-year cumulative incidence of T2D was 26.3% (95%CI [24.4, 28.3%]). Participants who developed T2D during follow-up reported significantly higher red meat consumption compared to those who did not (5.0 vs. 4.5 times/week; P = 0.016). Modelled substitution of one daily serving of total meat per 1000 kcal with full-fat dairy, in fully adjusted models, suggested a trend (at P < 0.10) of lowering 20-year T2D risk (OR 0.38, 95%CI [0.14, 1.05]); similarly, substitution of one daily serving/1000 kcal of total meat with fermented dairy showed a trend of lowering T2D risk (OR 0.39, 95%CI [0.15, 1.07]). Substituting red meat with full-fat dairy was not associated with T2D risk (OR per one daily serving/1000 kcal = 0.37, 95%CI [0.11, 1.19]); similarly, substitutions with low-fat, fermented dairy or white meat showed not significant associations with T2D risk.

Conclusion

Substituting total and red/processed meat with full-fat or fermented dairy products in modeled analyses indicated potentially favorable, though largely non-significant, associations with long-term risk of T2D.