Severe food insecurity ups diabetes risk

In poor urban settings, severe food insecurity aggravates the risk of diabetes, a recent study from Angola has found.

Researchers conducted a 1:2 case-control analysis of 663 adults (median age 38 years, 447 women) living in Luanda, Angola. A total of 221 participants had diabetes, as defined by fasting blood glucose ≥126 mg/dL, while 442 were set as controls. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), developed by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, was used to assess food insecurity.

Compared with controls, diabetics were significantly older (p<0.0001) and had higher body mass index (p=0.0004). Waist circumference (p<0.0001), heart rate (p=0.002), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.0001) were likewise significantly elevated in those with diabetes.

Food security analysis was available for 215 diabetic participants and 432 controls. Most diabetics (62.8 percent) and controls (63.9 percent) experienced moderate-to-severe food insecurity, with no significant difference in odds between the two groups (odds ratio [OR], 0.95, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.68–1.34; p=0.78).

Severe food insecurity, on the other hand, was significantly more frequent among diabetics than controls (53.0 percent vs 38.2 percent), corresponding to a significantly higher likelihood estimate (OR, 1.83, 95 percent CI, 1.31–2.54; p=0.0004).

“This study is a first attempt to explore the relationship between diabetes and food insecurity in an urban setting in Angola and it calls for further longitudinal studies to look into the pathways between diabetes and food insecurity,” the researchers said.

“In future studies, uniformity of indicators to assess food insecurity levels should be adopted, for example by using the FIES at individual level, that is easy to perform and interpret. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the association between diabetes and food insecurity warrant further investigation,” they added.