A worrying study has threatened to put us off one popular food type for good after discovering that it dramatically increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes affects around one out of every ten people in the United States, with type 2 being the most prevalent.

Without treatment, patients risk developing significant and irreversible long-term health issues ranging from heart disease and kidney illness to nerve damage, stroke, and even eyesight or limb difficulties that may necessitate amputation.

It’s certainly in our best interests to attempt to prevent the illness from developing, because while genetics can play a role, lifestyle choices like being overweight and physically sedentary can dramatically increase the risk.

Now, new research released last month investigates the effect of certain typical meals and drinks in the American diet on human health, revealing some startling findings.

Researchers at the University of Washington examined more than 60 prior research studies on processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats and discovered that ‘habitual intake of even tiny amounts’ of these is associated with type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and colon cancer.

Horrifyingly, it indicated that eating one hot dog each day, or the equivalent of another processed meat, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 11% and colon cancer by 7%.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the study found that eating 50 g of processed meat every day (about one standard-sized hotdog’) increased the risk of type 2 diabetes and colon cancer by 30% and 26%, respectively.

“The monotonic increases in health risk with increased consumption of processed meat suggest that there is no ‘safe’ amount of processed meat consumption with respect to diabetes or colorectal cancer risk,” stated the authors, including the study’s principal author, Dr. Demewoz Haile.

And it’s not only bad news for hot dog lovers; the report also includes some fairly terrible statistics for soda drinkers.

It also states that drinking 12 ounces of sugar-sweetened drinks on a regular basis increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 8% and ischemic heart disease by 2%.

Like processed meat, the scientists discovered that increasing the use of sugar-laden beverages raised the risk of disease, emphasizing the need for additional health programs to ‘avoid and minimize’ such drinks from our diets.

Another study from the University of Michigan discovered that just one can of soda can reduce our longevity by a staggering 12 minutes, while a beef hotdog threatens to take 36 minutes.

“This current research has shown, yet again and consistent with prior research, that to achieve health gains, it is best to avoid or minimize the habitual consumption of each of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs),” Dr. Nita Forouhi of the University of Cambridge commented, according to Earth.com.

Scientists and physicians alike advise individuals to reduce their use of sugary and processed drinks in order to reduce the risk of disease, but this does not have to be a complete elimination of these beverages.

Dr. Gunter Kuhnle of the University of Reading explained, “The goal should not be perfection, but rather a healthy and sensible dietary pattern that allows for enjoyment.”

“My general advice: don’t panic,” he said. “Food is more than simply a source of nutrition; it also plays an important part in culture, pleasure, family life, and social interaction.

“Reducing it solely to a list of health risks misses the bigger picture.”