Food insecurity is a problem for millions of Americans, especially now as prices continue to rise. While previous research has linked food insecurity to a range of health problems, including diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, a recent study found that young adults at risk of food insecurity had a significantly increased chance of developing diabetes a decade later.
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, the study reviewed data on nearly 4,000 people from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. The researchers found that adults ages 24-32 who said they’d been worried about a lack of food in the last year showed a greater incidence of diabetes at ages 32-42 than those who did not report having food insecurity.
“When we look at the data 10 years later, we do see this separation in prevalence of diabetes: those that experienced risk of food insecurity at young adulthood are more likely to have diabetes in middle adulthood,” said Cassandra Nguyen, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor with Washington State University’s Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health.
While the study could not identify the exact reason for the link between diabetes and food insecurity, previous research has shown that food-insecure households often have diets with lower nutritional values.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Can Put You In Control Of Your Diabetes
In addition to a healthy diet and regular exercise, keeping blood sugar levels as close to your target level as possible is a crucial element of diabetes maintenance. One way to keep your blood levels in check is through Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM). It is a tested, approved, accurate, and easy-to-use transceiver device that helps those with diabetes monitor and keep abreast of their blood sugar levels 24/7 without any need to stop what their doing to take a blood sample.
Speak with your doctor and contact us today to see if you qualify for CGM and access our guide to continuous glucose monitoring.