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Type 5 diabetes recognised as a distinct form of disease.

About Type 5 diabetes

It is a new type of diabetes that has been officially recognized recently. It mainly affects thin and malnourished teenagers and young adults in low- and middle-income countries. This is why it is also called “malnutrition-induced diabetes.”

This recognition is important because it highlights how malnutrition during childhood or even before birth can damage the pancreas—the organ responsible for producing insulin, which helps control blood sugar levels, and without enough of it, people develop diabetes.

Unlike Type 2 diabetes, where the body resists insulin, Type 5 diabetes happens when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin due to years of poor nutrition.

Background

Scientists first noticed this condition in 1955 in Jamaica, calling it "J-type diabetes." Later, in 1985, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as “malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus”. However, they removed this classification in 1999 because there wasn’t enough evidence at the time linking malnutrition directly to diabetes.

For years, doctors confused Type 5 diabetes with Type 1 because both involve low insulin production. But recent studies have shown that Type 5 diabetes is unique—it is caused by malnutrition rather than genetic or autoimmune issues.

How is Type 5 diabetes different from other types of diabetes?

Type 1 Diabetes: This occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People with Type 1 need insulin injections to survive.
Type 2 Diabetes: This is the most common form and usually happens in overweight or obese individuals. In Type 2, the body becomes resistant to insulin, meaning it doesn’t respond properly to the hormone.
Type 5 Diabetes: This is completely different. It is not caused by genetics or obesity but by malnutrition. Malnutrition weakens the pancreas so much that it cannot produce enough insulin. People with Type 5 are very thin and have extremely low body fat. Their insulin levels are much lower than in Type 2 diabetes but slightly higher than in Type 1.

Type 5 diabetes mostly affects people in poorer countries like India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and others in Asia and Africa. These populations face chronic hunger and lack access to nutritious food, which contributes to the problem.

Source:

INDIAN EXPRESS

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