It’s not a very sweet statistic, but diabetes was the 8th leading cause of death in the United States in 2020. Adults 50 years or older with diabetes die 4.6 years earlier, develop disability 6 to 7 years earlier, and spend about 1 to 2 more years in a disabled state than adults without diabetes.
About 37.3 million people—or 11.3% of the US population—had diabetes (diagnosed or undiagnosed) in 2019. This total included 37.1 million adults 18 or older, or 14.7% of all US adults. About 8.5 million of these adults had diabetes but were not aware that they had it or did not report that they had it.
The Difference Between Diabetes Type 1 and Diabetes Type 2
Type 2 diabetes is the much more common form of the disease and is caused by insulin resistance and pancreatic failure. Gestational diabetes is similar to type 2 and occurs during pregnancy.
What is Fueling the Diabetes Type 2 Epidemic?
The root of type 2 diabetes is scientifically clear: Insulin resistance and pancreatic failure are to blame for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. What causes the pancreas to fail and the body to resist insulin is unclear but seems to lie in an overall dietary pattern emphasizing meat, dairy products, and fatty foods, aided and abetted by sugary foods and beverages, rather than simply in sugar consumption alone.
Studies have shown:
- In the United States, a meat-based diet is associated with a high prevalence of diabetes, compared with dietary patterns emphasizing plant-derived foods.
- In Japan, China, and other Asian countries, the transition from a traditional diet of carbohydrate-rich rice to lower-carbohydrate Westernized eating habits emphasizing meats, dairy products, and fried foods has been accompanied by a major increase in diabetes prevalence.
- In the Adventist Health Study, after adjusting for differences in body weight, physical activity, and other factors, a meat-based diet was associated with roughly double the risk of diabetes, compared with a diet omitting animal products.
- In clinical trials, when people changed from a diet high in meat and dairy to a low-fat vegan diet, diabetes typically improves significantly.
These results point toward a diet heavy in meat, dairy products, and fried foods as the cause of diabetes.
Sugar Is Falling, But Diabetes Keeps Rising
Since it became fashionable to blame sugar for many health problems in the late 90’s, Americans have decreased their sugar consumption, especially as bottled water and sugar-free beverages have slowly edged sodas off the shelf over the past two decades. At the same time, consumption of cheese and oily foods have steadily increased, as has the prevalence of diabetes. This suggests that something other than sugar is driving the diabetes epidemic.
Several studies have examined the relationship between sugar and the risk of developing diabetes, and the results were interesting.
There was no significant effect of sugar consumption on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Study participants that consumed the most sugar actually had a 9% lower risk of developing diabetes, compared with those consuming the least sugar. Although the difference was not statistically significant, meaning that it could have been a chance result, at the very least, it means that sugar consumption doesn’t have a significant correlation with the development of diabetes.
Fructose was not significantly associated with diabetes risk.
Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits, fruit juices, some vegetables and honey.
Fructose can be chemically modified to become an added sugar and is the basic component of high-fructose corn syrup, which is used to sweeten many processed foods and beverages.
Sucrose appeared to be protective against developing diabetes.
Sucrose is a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits, vegetables and nuts. Those consuming the most natural sucrose had 11% less risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with those consuming the least.
It’s Not the Sugar, It’s Added Sugar!
Natural sugars, like glucose, fructose, and sucrose found in fruit, vegetables, and dairy products are healthy and there are no restrictions on how much you can enjoy.
Added sugars, however, are unhealthy. Any sugar that does not come from a fruit, vegetable, or dairy product is an added sugar.
The human body runs on glucose, a natural, simple sugar. Without it, you would die. Just as gasoline powers your car, glucose powers your muscles, your brain, and the rest of your body. Natural glucose comes from fruit and starchy foods, like grains, beans, and potatoes. Your body can also produce glucose when needed. Because of this, there is no physiological need for added sugars.
The problem is that added sugars are present in almost all processed foods and drinks, and it’s easy to add sugar to food and beverages you prepare at home. Eating added sugars may not cause diabetes, but extra sugar in your blood does make insulin resistance worse. People with insulin resistance already experience a buildup of glucose in the bloodstream, and eating added sugars causes your blood sugar to spike even higher, worsening the situation.
