19/09/2025
Professor Allan Vaag at Lund University Diabetes Centre is one of the authors of a paper in The Lancet Global Health, which calls for greater recognition of type 5 diabetes. As many as 25 million people worldwide may be affected by this neglected form of diabetes.
The expert group behind the paper stresses that type 5 diabetes is a distinct form of diabetes which requires a different approach to treatment.
“Type 5 diabetes differs from type 2 diabetes in several ways. A common characteristic of type 5 diabetes is undernutrition after birth and in childhood, which explains the markedly reduced insulin secretion due to underdevelopment of the pancreas. Research has shown that low birthweight, due to undernutrition in utero and impaired fetal growth, contributes to the development of both type 2 diabetes and type 5 diabetes,” Allan Vaag says.
Allan Vaag recently gave an interview to The Telegraph’s global health security reporter about the paper.
“We simply don’t know how many of these patients exist. They live in some of the most underserved and understudied regions, areas affected by natural disasters, war, and famine. These individuals are often among the poorest in the world, making their needs even more critical,” Allan Vaag told The Telegraph.
🗞 Read the news article with Allan Vaag in The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/hunger-has-created-a-hidden-diabetes-crisis-experts-warn/
🌍 Read the paper in The Lancet Global Health: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(25)00263-3/fulltext
