What the article doesn't mention is that the original study found only association, not causation. So it could be that the processed meat was stuffed in white b

What the article doesn't mention is that the original study found only association, not causation. So it could be that the processed meat was stuffed in white bread, drenched in ketchup and washed down with a big pail of sugary drink, follwed by a chocolate sundae. These additions could plausibly contribute to diabetes risk. Also, the strongest association was with processed meats and less with unprocessed red meat. I think that a high quality steak with a side of salad is not comparable with spam on wonder bread.