The quality and composition of your diet can lay the groundwork for being overweight, which is considered one of the key risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Now, a new study has identified the foods that could be driving the blood sugar condition. Unfortunately, it’s no good news for the fans of processed meats.
Whether you make a bacon sarnie or pair your sausages with a mash, processed meats offer a comforting taste while delivering a low price and easy time management when it comes to cooking.
However, the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, labelled these foods as one of the triggers for type 2 diabetes.
The research paper suggested that around seven in ten of all type 2 cases are caused by a poor diet.
The team explained that processed meat, too much refined rice and wheat were some of the biggest contributors.
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Poland and Russia, where diets tend to be rich in red meat, processed cuts and potatoes, had the greatest number of cases thanks to diet, according to the figures from 2018.
Furthermore, a poor diet caused a larger proportion of type 2 diabetes incidences in men compared to women, in younger versus older adults, and in urban versus rural residents.
While the foods that people were eating played a big role in the risk, not eating enough whole grains also proved crucial.
Interestingly, drinking too much fruit juice and not eating enough non-starchy vegetables, nuts, or seeds, had less of an impact on new cases, according to the study.
The number of people suffering from the condition was also high in Latin America and the Caribbean.
These cases are believed to be linked to high consumption of sugary drinks, processed meat, and low intake of whole grains.
However, the largest increase in type 2 diabetes due to poor diet between 1990 and 2018 were observed in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Study author Dariush Mozaffarian, a professor of nutrition and dean for policy at the Friedman School at Tufts University in Massachusetts, US, said: “Our study suggests poor carbohydrate quality is a leading driver of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes globally, and with important variation by nation and over time.
“These new findings reveal critical areas for national and global focus to improve nutrition and reduce devastating burdens of diabetes.”
Previous studies have estimated that only 40 percent of type 2 diabetes cases were linked to poor dietary choices.
The research team believes their study has revealed a huge jump due to the availability of more information.
Furthermore, this is the first time a study has included the impact of refined grains, which was considered one of the top contributors to diabetes burdens.
