It seems that youth forgives everything, but a new study by scientists from California proves that the habit of eating fast food, snacks, and sweet soda can lay the foundation for diabetes before the age of 25. Those who had problems with being overweight in adolescence should be especially careful.
A team from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California conducted a long-term study, published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism. They followed a group of 85 young people aged 17 to 22 for four years. The key detail: all of the participants were previously overweight or obese, which put them at risk. The scientists carefully analyzed their diets and took tests to monitor their health.
The analysis revealed a shocking correlation: Every 10% increase in ultra-processed foods in your diet (the equivalent of swapping one apple for a small bag of chips each day) increased your chances of developing prediabetes by 51%.
But the most alarming finding concerned the body's ability to control sugar. The risk of impaired glucose tolerance (a condition where the body can no longer process sugar effectively) soared by a whopping 158%!
Simply put, their bodies began to “ignore” insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. This is a direct path to developing type 2 diabetes, even if they didn’t gain much weight.
The study authors emphasize that young age is a critical time to form healthy habits. The results clearly show that abandoning industrially processed foods in favor of whole foods – vegetables, fruits, grains, meat and fish – is the best investment in your health. This is especially important for young people who are already at risk to prevent serious diseases in the future.
