Long-term industrial foods increase diabetes risk

ROME - Ultra-processed food (long-term industrial food such as snacks, sweets, packaged sweets, soft drinks, fruit juices, etc.), rich in additives and preservatives, increases the risk of diabetes: the risk rises by 15% for each increase 10% of the daily consumption of ultra processed foods. On the contrary, the consumption of non-industrial or only little processed foods is associated with a reduction in the risk of diabetes by about 10%.
This was revealed by a French study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine and conducted by Bernard Srour, of the Center for Research on Epidemiology and Statistics of the University of Paris.
The study involved 104.707 participants aged 18 and over and average age 42 years. The sample filled out food questionnaires containing more than 3,500 food items and was divided into groups according to the consumption of ultra-processed foods: it emerged that the annual rate of diabetes (new cases every year) was 113 per 100,000 people in the low consumption group of these junk foods, against a rate of 166 per 100,000 for individuals with the highest consumption of these harmful foods, already associated in previous studies at greater risk of death from all causes.
The risk of diabetes increases by 5% for every 100 gram increase of ultra-processed food per day, the French epidemiologists estimate. Furthermore, a 10% increase in daily consumption of ultra-processed foods increases the risk of getting diabetes by 15%. "This study shows how ultra processed foods, including soft drinks, products rich in sugars, prepackaged sauces that are rich in fat, are associated with a greater risk of diabetes - says in a comment to ANSA Rosalba Giacco of the Society Italian of Diabetology and researcher at the CNR Institute of Nutrition Science of Avellino These data confirm the results of other epidemiological studies that have evaluated the relationship between dietary habits and diabetes risk on groups of populations of different European and American countries. Another interesting fact that emerged in this work - continues the expert who is also the coordinator of the SID-ADI-AMD 'Diabetes and Nutrition' Inter-company Study Group - is that the consumption of ultra processed foods is higher among young people, in people obese, in those less physically active and in smokers, that is precisely between people with unhealthy lifestyles and poor nutrition on the whole, characterizes from high consumption of animal fats, sugars, salt, red meat and processed meat and a low consumption of whole grains, yogurt, oilseeds, fruit and vegetables ".
"The study highlights another important problem - continues Giacco - the potential harmful effect of non-nutritive substances contained in ultra processed foods such as the additives used to preserve products or substances such as non-caloric sweeteners used instead of for longer. sugar in soft drinks or molecules released from food and drink containers There are still very few studies that have assessed the risks due to the habitual consumption of these substances on human health, therefore, in the absence of scientific evidence it is important to limit the consumption of ultra foods. processed ", concludes Giacco.