Ultra processed food intake effective in reducing type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: Lancet

A recent study by Samuel Dicken and team suggests concentrating on cutting back on the consumption of particular ultra-processed foods (UPF) in order to minimize the risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings of this study were published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe journal.

People who have type 2 diabetes mellitus also have a higher risk of all-cause mortality and other cardiometabolic disorders, which lowers their quality of life. The question of whether diets heavy in ultra-processed foods (UPF) present health concerns in addition to those related to diet quality is up for dispute. UPF consumption is rising globally and accounts for a considerable amount of dietary intake. Increased UPF consumption have been linked to detrimental health effects, including as obesity and weight gain, as well as cardiovascular disease. Thus, the relationship between the degree of food processing and the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus was investigated in this study.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) prospective cohort analysis was used for this study. Using dietary questionnaires, dietary consumption was measured at baseline and categorized into four categories namely, processed food (PF), unprocessed/minimally processed food (MPF), processed culinary ingredients (PCI), and UPF. Cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus were confirmed using a variety of techniques. In order to assess the correlations between MPF + PCI, PF, and UPF consumption and incidence type 2 diabetes mellitus, Cox regression and statistical substitution analysis were employed. UPF sub-group analysis was done to look into any heterogeneity in the relationship between UPF and incidence type 2 diabetes mellitus.

• The key outcomes of this study found 14,236 instances of type 2 diabetes mellitus over a 10.9-year follow-up of 311,892 people.
• Each 10% increase in total daily food consumption from UPF (%g/day) was related with 17% greater incidence of type 2 diabetic mellitus.
• Each 10% increase in MPF + PCI or PF consumption was linked with a decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Replacing UPF with MPF + PCI or PF was related with a decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Also, there was variation between UPF subgroups, with breads, biscuits, and sweets and desserts, morning cereals, and plant-based alternatives being related to a decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Overall, higher UPF consumption was linked with an increase in incidence type 2 diabetes mellitus, while higher intakes of less processed foods were associated with a decrease in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Source:

Dicken, S. J., Dahm, C. C., Ibsen, D. B., Olsen, A., Tjønneland, A., Louati-Hajji, M., Cadeau, C., Marques, C., Schulze, M. B., Jannasch, F., Baldassari, I., Manfredi, L., Santucci de Magistris, M., Sánchez, M.-J., Castro-Espin, C., Palacios, D. R., Amiano, P., Guevara, M., van der Schouw, Y. T., … Batterham, R. L. (2024). Food consumption by degree of food processing and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort analysis of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). In The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (p. 101043). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.101043