
According to a recent study that projects data through 2018, consuming too many refined wheat and rice products and not enough healthy grains is contributing to the rise in type 2 diabetes cases worldwide.
“Our study suggests poor carbohydrate quality is a leading driver of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes globally,” says senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University and a professor of medicine at Tufts School of Medicine in Boston.

Another important issue, according to the study, is that people consume excessive amounts of processed and red meats like bacon, sausage, and salami. The study, which was released on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, found that these three risk factors—eating insufficient amounts of whole grains, as well as too many processed grains and meats—were the main contributors to the over 14 million new instances of type 2 diabetes that occurred in 2018.

In fact, the study indicated that poor eating choices contributed to 7 out of 10 type 2 diabetes cases worldwide in 2018.
“These new findings reveal critical areas for national and global focus to improve nutrition and reduce devastating burdens of diabetes,” said Mozaffarian, who is also the editor-in-chief of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter.
A surplus of processed foods

A research model of food intake between 1990 and 2018 was created by Mozaffarian and his team, and it was used in 184 nations. According to the report, there were 8.6 million more type 2 diabetes diagnoses in 2018 as a result of inadequate diet than there were in 1990.
Researchers discovered that consuming too many unhealthy foods, especially for males compared to women, younger persons compared to older adults, and urban versus rural dwellers, was more of a global driver of type 2 diabetes than not eating enough wholesome foods.