Hamburgers and fried chicken significantly increase type 2 diabetes risk, according to an upcoming article for the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers found that African-American women who ate two or more restaurant hamburgers per week were 40 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, while two or more fried chicken meals led to a 68 percent increase in diabetes risk. The research followed 44,072 participants who were originally diabetes-free and were part of the Black Women’s Health Study. Consumption of restaurant meals were counted and categorized in the following groups: hamburgers, fried chicken, fried fish, Chinese food, Mexican food, and pizza. All categories were associated with increased diabetes risk except for Mexican food and pizza.

The prevalence of diabetes among African-American women is twice that of white women.

Krishnan S, Coogan PF, Boggs, DA, Rosenberg L, Palmer JR. Consumption of restaurant foods and incidence of type 2 diabetes in African-American women. Am J Clin Nutr. Dec 16, 2009. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.2009.28682.

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