People who frequently eat more than two servings of red meat a day increase their risk of incident metabolic syndrome by 25 percent compared to those who limit red meat to two servings a week, researchers said Tuesday.

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Three of five criteria must be present for a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome including a large waistline, elevated blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, elevated fasting triglycerides or reduced levels of HDL “good” cholesterol.

Dr. Lyn Steffen, an associated professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and colleagues examined the diets of 9,514 people who were part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study by looking at a 66-item food questionnaire. Compared to other previous study, this one went into detailed look at precisely what people were eating. Most of the participants were aged 45 to 64.

The participants were categorized into two groups: participants with a “western-pattern” diet, which includes high quantity of processed meat, fried foods, red meat and participants with a “prudent-pattern” diet with more fruit and vegetable, small amount of fish and poultry, seafood and low-fat dairy foods.

“The Western diet increased risk by about 18% overall of getting metabolic syndrome over nine years,” says Steffen.

Those who ate two or more servings of meat a day or about two burgers patties increased their risk by 26 percent compared with those who only ate meat twice a week.

“Diet soda, one can a day, increased risk by 34%” Steffen found. Fried food was also blamed for increasing the risk of getting metabolic syndrome. Those eating their food mostly fried face a 25 percent higher risk of getting the syndrome than those eating the lowest amounts.

Nearly 40 percent or nearly 4,000 participants developed three or more of the factors linked to metabolic syndrome, even when smoking and exercise were factored in, the researchers wrote.

The study also found that even consuming a prudent diet and low-fat dairy products did not reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.

“We had expected to see a benefit because we have seen a beneficial relationship in other studies,” Steffen said.

The researchers recommended “more gentle forms of cooking, like steaming. Limit consumption of processed foods and fast foods,” and drink water instead of other drinks.

The study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, was published in the journal Circulation, an American Heart Association publication.