Eating more red meat over time is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in a follow-up of three studies of about 149,000 U.S. men and women, according to a report published online first by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Red meat consumption has been consistently related to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but previous studies measured red meat consumption at a baseline with limited follow-up information. However, a person`s eating behavior changes over time and measurement of consumption at a single point in time does not capture the variability of intake during follow-up, the authors note in the study background.
During more than 1.9 million person-years of follow-up, researchers documented 7,540 incident cases of type 2 diabetes.
"Increasing red meat intake during a four-year interval was associated with an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes during the subsequent four years in each cohort," according to the study.
The results indicate that compared with a group with no change in red meat intake, increasing red meat intake of more than 0.50 servings per day was associated with a 48 percent elevated risk in the subsequent four-year period. Reducing red meat consumption by more than 0.50 servings per day from baseline to the first four years of follow-up was associated with a 14 percent lower risk during the subsequent entire follow-up.
"Our results confirm the robustness of the association between red meat and type 2 diabetes and add further evidence that limiting red meat consumption over time confers benefits for type 2 diabetes prevention," concludes the authors.
Source: The JAMA Network Journals
When it comes to reaping benefits of sprint interval training, it appears that men have won the battle of the sexes, if just barely. According to new research published in The FASEB Journal, men create more new proteins as a result of this exercise than women do. The good news, however, is that men and women experienced similar increases in aerobic capacity. This study is the first to directly measure the creation of proteins made to adapt to this mode of exercise. The study also uniquely used methods that measure the cumulative making of proteins during the entire three weeks to account for other daily living factors, effectively ensuring that the study was a measure of real life conditions. Finally, this study does not extend to other types of exercise, such as running, jogging and cycling, where women may benefit equally or more.
Interval workouts involve different speed intervals which helps speed up your metabolism. Some trainers recommend a 1:1 ratio for your cardiovascular activity of your choice like walking, running, jogging, biking , so for example after warming up, do 3 minutes of increased speed and then 3 minutes of slower speed to recover, or some may do 4 minutes increased speed and then 4 minutes slower speed to recover, etc. Usually the amount of time is found in 3 minute, 4 minute or 5 minute ratios. There is also another method called “Spring Interval Training” that incorporates quick sprints into your work out. You can do interval training with any type of cardiovascular activity; it would be a great addition to your nightly walks. After warming up for a couple of minutes, look for something in the distance that you can walk quickly to (about 30 seconds) once you get to that telephone pole or lamp post, slow it back down to your normal walking speed for about 4-5 minutes. This would be repeated throughout the workout, ideally 3-5 times. If you are a gym goer, interval training can be done on any cardio machine also. 
