Improper nutrition, and with it overweight, are serious factors in the development of type 2 diabetes. According to scientists, our eating habits are influenced, among other things, by restaurants and shops that are located nearby, and it is worth knowing about this. span>
In their study, scientists from New York University mention that the relationship between food infrastructure and the risk of diabetes has been evaluated before, but for the first time in this research, a large sample of participants with a large geographic coverage was used.
Scientists analyzed data from 4.1 million veterans who did not have diabetes between 2008 and 2016. Over the next five years, 13.2% developed the disease, mostly older people with low incomes, often with disabilities. Diabetes prevalence was highest in dense urban areas, lowest in suburban and rural areas.
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Then, the experts studied the availability of fast food restaurants and supermarkets within walking distance near the participants' residence. Scientists estimate that a 10% increase in the number of fast food restaurants in an urban area was associated with a 1% increase in the risk of diabetes, in rural and suburban areas — by 2%. At the same time, the presence of a supermarket with a wide selection of products in the neighborhood, on the contrary, reduced this risk.
According to the authors of the study, this relationship is quite natural: if there is no restaurant nearby with a healthier cuisine, and the supermarket is far away, a person with more likely to dine at a fast food restaurant.
«Our results show that the placement constraint fast food restaurants and may be an effective measure to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in the population,” scientists say.