Researchers estimate 7 out of 10 cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide in 2018 linked to food choices. Credit: Alonso Nichols/Tufts University
Key points:
- A new study estimates that poor diet contributed to over 14.1 million cases of type 2 diabetes in 2018.
- Poor dietary factors include overconsumption of processed meat, refined rice and not enough whole grains.
- The findings may help policymakers as they try to address this global epidemic.
A new study by researchers at Tufts University estimates that poor diet contributed to over 14.1 million cases of type 2 diabetes in 2018, representing more than 70% of new diagnoses globally. The analysis, which looked at data from 1990 and 2018, provides valuable insight into which dietary factors are driving type 2 diabetes burden by world region.
Three out of the 11 dietary factors considered had a substantial contribution to the rising global incidence of type 2 diabetes:
- overconsumption of processed meat
- insufficient intake of whole grains
- excesses of refined rice and wheat
The analysis, published in Nature Medicine, also revealed that poor diet is causing a larger proportion of total type 2 diabetes incidence in men versus women, in younger versus older adults, and in urban versus rural residents.
Regionally, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, particularly Poland and Russia, had the greatest number of type 2 diabetes cases linked to diet. Incidence was also high in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in Colombia and Mexico.
On the other hand, of the 30 most populated countries studied, India, Nigeria and Ethiopia had the fewest case of type 2 diabetes linked to unhealthy eating.
Overall, the researchers looked at data from 184 countries from 1990 to 2018. The team based their model on information from the Global Dietary Database, along with population demographics from multiple sources, global type 2 diabetes incidence estimates, and data on how food choices impact people living with obesity and type 2 diabetes from multiple peer-reviewed published papers.
“These new findings reveal critical areas for national and global focus to improve nutrition and reduce devastating burdens of diabetes,” said senior author Dariush Mozaffarian, dean for policy at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.