Ultra-processed food directly linked to risk of type 2 diabetes: Study

Brazil: A new study found that eating ultra-processed meals raised the incidence of type 2 diabetes as a dose-response impact, with moderate to high evidence of believability. The findings of this study were published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Consumption of certain food categories has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes. However, there is no evidence from meta-analyses that assesses the risk of diabetes associated with the intake of ultra-processed food. Therefore, this study was conducted by Felipe Mendes Delpino and the team with the objective to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the relationship between ultra-processed food intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes, and to quantify this risk using a meta-analysis.

The researchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis using data from PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Scielo, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science. Longitudinal research on ultra-processed meals and the risk of type 2 diabetes were among them. Two reviewers worked separately on the review procedure. The Newcastle Ottawa scale was used to rate the studies' quality. A meta-analysis was carried out to determine the influence of moderate and high intake of ultra-processed foods on the risk of diabetes.