Can a person’s food choices contribute to type 2 diabetes? A new study has linked poor diet to 14 million cases of type 2 diabetes globally.
Researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found that around 70% of new diabetes diagnoses in 2018 were due to improper diet.
Type 2 diabetes is a long-term health condition, which occurs when the body cells fail to respond normally to insulin due to insulin resistance.
Here are the most common symptoms to watch out for:
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst and hunger
- Blurred vision
- Unintentional weight loss
- Frequent infections
- Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
- Feeling tired
- Slow healing wounds
- Repeated yeast infections
- Darkened skin in armpits and neck
Certain factors increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes:
- People who are over the age of 45
- People who have other health conditions like blood pressure, heart disease and polycystic ovary syndrome
- Family history of diabetes
- Obesity
- Diabetes during pregnancy
- High triglycerides and low HDL cholestrol
The growing burden of diabetes
According to National Diabetes Statistics Report, around 37.3 million Americans live with diabetes, out of which 23% go undiagnosed.
The new study, published in Nature Medicine, analyzed data from 184 countries and found an increase in type 2 diabetes cases between 1990 and 2018.
“Left unchecked and with incidence only projected to rise, type 2 diabetes will continue to impact population health, economic productivity, health care system capacity, and drive health inequities worldwide,” study author Meghan O’Hearn said.
Food that makes up a poor diet
Researchers evaluated how diet choices impacted type 2 diabetes and found certain food contributed more to the disease.
Out of 11 factors analyzed by the researchers, three stood out as leading contributors to diabetes – the excessive intake of refined rice and wheat, insufficient consumption of whole grains and overconsumption of processed meat.
The study pointed out that seven…
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