Could being too thin actually trigger a form of diabetes?
That’s what a growing chorus of health experts is warning — and they’re calling it “type 5 diabetes.”
Unlike the more familiar types, which strike because of obesity (type 2) or a lack of insulin production (type 1).
This newly recognized form targets undernourished young people.
It often affects those under 30 in countries grappling with poverty.
A new paper in The Lancet Global Health estimates over 25 million people worldwide already suffer from it.
“We call upon the international diabetes community to recognize this distinct form of the disease,” the authors wrote.
Recognizing Type 5 Diabetes
This echoed a recent consensus from the International Diabetes Federation.
This isn’t a totally new idea.In the 1980s and 90s, the WHO even had a category called “malnutrition-related diabetes.”
It dropped it in 1999 after disagreements over whether starvation alone could cause it.
Since then, however, mounting evidence from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Uganda and beyond suggests malnutrition can indeed damage the pancreas.
It can lead to diabetes-like symptoms.
Experts hope that officially naming “type 5 diabetes” will push for earlier diagnosis, better treatment and new funding streams.
After all, how can you fight a disease if the world doesn’t even agree it exists?
