A study has blamed the junk food for the diabetes epidemic.

Harmful compounds present in processed red meats like burgers, bacon and sausages could be the cause behind the 132,000 new patients coming up every year, the Daily Express reported.

A review of research by Plymouth University implicated iron in red meat that helped form compounds that attack the immune system and people`s ability to control inflammation that triggers many diseases.

The study has been published in the journal Advances in Nutrition.