Fatty Diet Raises Diabetes Risk
Saturated Fat Intake Linked to Type 2
Diabetes
The fatty staples of the western diet, such as
steaks and hamburgers, may be fueling the current
surge in type 2 diabetes rates. A new study suggests
that people who eat a diet high in saturated or
animal fat are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes
than others.
Researchers say surveys of people with diabetes
have suggested a link between the amount of saturated
fat in a person's diet and diabetes risk, but
until now that link has not been confirmed by
biological evidence.
In this study, they looked at the levels of fatty
acids in the blood, which reflects how much saturated
fat a person generally eats over time, and compared
it to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among
a group of 2,909 adults aged 45-64. The results
appear in the July issue of the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition.
During nine years of follow-up, 252 of the men
and women developed type 2 diabetes.
After adjusting for other factors known to affect
the risk of type 2 diabetes, such as age, sex,
body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake, cigarette
smoking, physical activity, education, and family
history of diabetes, researchers found the level
of fatty acids in the blood was significantly
associated with diabetes risk. As the level of
fatty acids increased, the likelihood that the
person developed type 2 diabetes also increased.
Researcher Lu Wang, of the University of Minnesota,
and colleagues say previous studies have shown
that the fatty acid composition of the blood provides
an objective estimate of the dietary intake of
saturated fat for weeks to months before the sample
is taken. By linking this marker of saturated
fat intake in the diet to the occurrence of diabetes,
they say the findings provide biological evidence
of the link between a fatty diet and an increased
risk of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers say the findings are in line with
previous studies that suggest a western lifestyle
-- characterized by a diet with a high intake
of total and animal fat, obesity, and low intake
of fish and carbohydrates -- may be to blame for
high diabetes rates in the west compared with
other areas. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
July 2003.
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DID
YOU KNOW: The National Institutes
of Health estimates that 17 million Americans
have the disease, and another 16 million have
prediabetes, a condition that may lead to diabetes
later in life. The number of Americans who have
received a diagnosis of diabetes increased 61
percent in the last decade, and is expected to
more than double by 2050, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
