A new study has revealed that a poor diet may be behind over 70% of new cases of type 2 diabetes globally, equating to more than 14.1 million cases in 2018.
The study, which examined data from 184 countries between 1990 and 2018, identified several dietary factors contributing to this rise in type 2 diabetes.
Key Findings
According to the research, the three main dietary contributors to the growing global incidence of type 2 diabetes were insufficient intake of whole grains, excessive consumption of refined rice and wheat, and overeating of processed meat.
Other factors, like high fruit juice consumption and inadequate intake of non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and seeds, had a lesser impact on new diabetes cases.
Geographic Differences
The study showed that Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia—especially Poland and Russia—had the highest number of diet-related type 2 diabetes cases, due to diets rich in red meat, processed meat, and potatoes.
High incidences were also noted in Latin America and the Caribbean, attributed to high consumption of sugary drinks, processed meat, and low intake of whole grains.
In contrast, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa had fewer diet-related cases, though Sub-Saharan Africa saw the largest increases in diet-induced type 2 diabetes between 1990 and 2018.
This study, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, employed data from the Global Dietary Database and various other sources.
The team acknowledged that their estimate of diet-related cases being 70% of the total was higher than previous research, which suggested 40%.
This discrepancy was attributed to their inclusion of new factors like refined grains and updated dietary data based on individual surveys.
Dariush Mozaffarian, the senior author of the study, emphasizes the importance of these findings, stating, “These new findings reveal critical areas for national and global focus to improve nutrition and reduce devastating burdens of diabetes.”
The team hopes that their research will help inform nutritional guidelines and policies to mitigate the global diabetes epidemic.
However, they note the need for continuous refinement of these estimates as new data becomes available.
With the unchecked rise in type 2 diabetes worldwide, it’s crucial to prioritize healthier dietary choices to alleviate this growing global health concern.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that not all whole grain foods could benefit people with type 2 diabetes, and green tea could help reduce death risk in type 2 diabetes.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about unhealthy plant-based diets linked to metabolic syndrome, and results showing Mediterranean diet could help reduce the diabetes risk by 30%.
The study was published in Nature Medicine.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
