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Consuming excessive refined wheat and rice products, coupled with insufficient whole grain intake, is contributing to the rise of new type 2 diabetes cases globally, as per a recent study that analyzes data up to 2018.
“Our research indicates that poor carbohydrate quality is a major factor leading to diet-related type 2 diabetes worldwide,” stated senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a nutrition professor at Tufts University and a medicine professor at Tufts School of Medicine in Boston.
A further significant issue is the high consumption of red and processed meats, including bacon, sausage, and salami, as noted by the study. These three elements—insufficient whole grain consumption and excessive intake of processed grains and meats—were identified as primary contributors to over 14 million new type 2 diabetes cases in 2018, according to the study published in the journal Nature Medicine.
In fact, the research estimates that 70% of global type 2 diabetes cases in 2018 were linked to unhealthy dietary choices.
“These discoveries highlight vital areas for national and global initiatives aimed at improving nutrition and mitigating the severe impacts of diabetes,” remarked Mozaffarian, who is also the editor-in-chief of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter.
Mozaffarian and his team created a dietary intake research model covering the years 1990 to 2018, applicable to 184 countries. The study indicated that compared to 1990, there were an additional 8.6 million type 2 diabetes cases attributable to poor diet in 2018.
The researchers discovered that excessive consumption of unhealthy foods was a more significant factor driving type 2 diabetes globally compared to insufficient intake of nutritious foods, particularly among men compared to women, younger adults versus older individuals, and urban populations versus rural ones.
More than 60% of all global diet-related diabetes cases were due to overeating just six harmful dietary influences: high intake of refined rice, wheat, and potatoes; excessive consumption of both processed and unprocessed red meats; and intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juice.
Inadequate consumption of five protective dietary components — fruits, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and yogurt — accounted for just over 39% of new diabetes cases.
Individuals in Poland and Russia, where dietary patterns often revolve around potatoes and red and processed meats, along with other Eastern and Central European and Central Asian countries, exhibited the highest rates of new type 2 diabetes cases associated with diet.
Countries like Colombia, Mexico, and others in Latin America and the Caribbean also reported significant new diabetes cases, likely linked to high consumption of sugary beverages and processed meats, alongside low whole grain intake.
“Our modeling approach does not establish causality, and our findings should be interpreted as risk estimates,” the authors noted.
