Poor diet contributed to more than 14.1 million cases of type 2 diabetes in 2018, accounting for more than 70% of new diagnoses globally, according to a study that Among the factors, excessive consumption of processed meat or insufficient intake of whole grains stands out.
The analysis, which considered data from 184 countries, between 1990 and 2018, provides “valuable information” on which dietary factors are driving the burden of type 2 diabetes; the results were published in the journal nature medicine.
“Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.0–27.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.3–27.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.3– 23.5%)).” https://t.co/hdeSi0y7Sq
— UF General Internal Medicine (@UFGIM) April 17, 2023
Of the 11 dietary factors considered in the model, three were major contributors to the increased global incidence of type 2 diabetes: insufficient intake of whole grains, excess refined wheat and rice, and excessive consumption of processed meat.
Factors such as excessive consumption of fruit juices and insufficient intake of non-starchy vegetables, nuts or seeds had less of an impact on new cases of the disease.
“Our study suggests that poor carbohydrate quality is one of the leading causes of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes worldwide, with significant variations across countries and over time,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, author principal of the study and a researcher at the Friedman School, Tufts University.
Of the 184 countries included, all had an increase in cases of type 2 diabetes between 1990 and 2018, which represents a growing burden for individuals, families and health systems, the university summarizes in a statement.
The analysis revealed that poor diet is responsible for a greater proportion of the total incidence of type 2 diabetes in men versus women, in younger versus older adults, and in urban versus rural residents globally.
Regionally, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia – especially Poland and Russia, where diets are often high in red meat, processed meat and potatoes – had the highest number of diet-related type 2 diabetes cases.
The incidence was also high in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in Colombia and Mexico, which the authors attribute to the high consumption of sugary drinks, processed meat, and low intake of whole grains.
Other recent studies have estimated that 40% of the cases of type 2 diabetes in the world are attributed to a suboptimal diet, a figure lower than the 70% indicated in this article.
The team of researchers explains this fact to the new information included in their analysis, such as the inclusion of refined grains.
behind this investigation They are experts from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, at Tufts University, United States.
With information from Efe.
