Researchers have found that eating red meat might increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.

A study published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who eat just two servings of red meat a week have a higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who eat fewer servings a week.

First author and postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition, Xiao Gu said, “Our findings strongly support dietary guidelines that recommend limiting the consumption of red meat.”

Research found that the participants who ate the most red meat had a 62% greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes, with a 46% increase for every additional serving a week.

The same study found that replacing red meat with plant-based protein decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The study showed a 30% decrease in risk with the substitution of a serving of red meat with plant-based protein. The risk also went down 22% with plant-based substitutions for dairy products.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, type 2 diabetes is on the rise globally and is a major risk factor in things like kidney and cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. 

In addition to a decrease in risk for type 2 diabetes, researchers said that swapping meat for plant protein would benefit the environment by doing things like reducing greenhouse gas emissions.