For the first time, the International Diabetes Federation has officially recognized the existence of a new category of this disease: type 5 diabetes , a worrying variant directly related to chronic malnutrition and structural poverty.

For decades, science has classified diabetes into the two most well-known types: type 1 (autoimmune) and type 2 (related to insulin resistance). Gestational diabetes and other atypical forms have also been discussed. However, recent research has identified a variant that doesn't fit these models: people with uncontrolled blood sugar levels but without insulin resistance. The cause? A pancreas damaged by years of severe nutritional deficiencies .

What exactly is type 5 diabetes?
This disease originates in bodies that have suffered malnutrition for prolonged periods , particularly during childhood or adolescence. Instead of developing insulin resistance (as occurs in type 2 diabetes), the body stops producing insulin properly because the pancreas has been damaged by a lack of essential nutrients such as protein, zinc, iron, vitamin B12, and other compounds vital for cell development.

This means that people with type 5 diabetes have an insulin deficiency without insulin resistance , and their treatment requires a completely different approach than the conventional one.

Who does it affect?
Most cases occur in communities experiencing extreme poverty, in regions with chronic food insecurity, lack of access to medical services, limited education, and inadequate diets. This form of diabetes, until now largely invisible, reflects how inequality also impacts metabolic health .

Diagnosis and treatment: a new medical and social challenge
The International Diabetes Federation has confirmed that it will work on establishing clinical criteria and guidelines for the early detection and targeted treatment of this variant. At the same time, it is urgently calling on governments and institutions to:

• Strengthening child nutrition from an early age.
• Combat malnutrition at the community level.
• Expand access to preventive health care.
• Educate about the difference between the different types of diabetes.

A disease that reveals a structural injustice
Type 5 diabetes is not just a medical condition; it is also a painful reflection of global inequality. Its existence compels health systems to look beyond laboratories and statistics and address the root causes of the disease: hunger, poverty, and lack of opportunity.

In the long term, recognizing this variant can change thousands of lives and be the starting point for fairer, more inclusive health policies focused on the roots of the problem.