Diabetes--a man made disease

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Endocrinology
• Food Science

Background:

• Global incidence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes has increased significantly in recent decades.
• This rise suggests a link to modern environmental factors rather than solely genetic predispositions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify potential environmental agents responsible for the recent increase in diabetes.
• To evaluate candidate agents based on their environmental prevalence, diabetogenic effects in animal models, and plausible mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and hypothesis formulation based on established criteria for environmental agents.
• Analysis of modern food processing techniques and common additives for potential diabetogenic compounds.
• Examination of biochemical pathways linking food components to diabetes development.

Main Results:

• Modern food processing generates glycation end products, oxidized ascorbic acid, and lipoic acid, all potential diabetogenic agents.
• Infant formula exhibits particularly high levels of glycation products and added ascorbic acid.
• A1 beta-casein derived casomorphin, when glycated, may exert adverse immune effects contributing to diabetes.

Conclusions:

• Food processing and additives represent a plausible man-made environmental cause for the increasing prevalence of diabetes.
• This hypothesis is consistent with the observed rise in diabetes and the identified properties of processed foods.
• Other environmental agents meeting the specified criteria are not excluded as contributing factors.