Study links Spam and diabetes in Native Americans
Consumption of processed meat, such as Spam, increases the risk of diabetes in Native Americans, research has found.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that Native Americans, who live in secluded US reservations with limited access to healthy food, are more at risk of becoming diabetic if they eat a lot of processed meat, particularly Spam.
However, the report also mentions that no relation was found between consumption of unprocessed red meat and diabetes.
“The consumption of processed meat, such as Spam, but not unprocessed red meat, was associated with higher risk of diabetes in [American Indians], a rural population at high risk of diabetes and with limited access to healthy foods,” the report concludes.
Half the Native American population develops diabetes by the age of 55.
