A new form of diabetes, which is not associated with obesity, has been officially recognized by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Type 5 diabetes, as it was called, affects about 25 million people globally.
The disease was recognized after decades in which it was studied. Photo: Archive
The condition occurs especially in adolescents and young adults, underweight and undernourished, and is caused by insufficient insulin production, induced by Malnutrition, according to The Independent. Unlike the known types of diabetes – type 1 (autoimmun) and type 2 (correlated with lifestyle) – this form is not related to obesity, often confused with the other types, which has led to wrong treatments and serious complications.
Type 5 diabetes was officially recognized following a vote held on April 8, 2025, within the World Congress of Diabetes organized by IDF at Bangkok. At the same time, an international working group has been created that will develop diagnostic and treatment guides, to support medical staff in recognizing and treating this condition.
“It was a sub -diagnostic and misdiagnosed historian. Official recognition is a crucial step in the direction of awareness of a devastating problem,” said Dr. Meredith Hawkins, a medical teacher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. It warns that many patients receive inappropriate, sometimes even dangerous treatments, such as excessive insulin administration, which can be fatal in this context.
“Diabetes related to malnutrition is more common than tuberculosis and almost as frequently as HIV/AIDS, but the lack of an official name has prevented the efforts to diagnose and identify effective therapies,” said Dr. Hawkins.
Over time, doctors have observed cases where patients-usually young and weak-had symptoms similar to type 1 diabetes, but did not respond to insulin treatment. Only in 2022, a team of researchers showed that this form is fundamentally different from the classic types of diabetes, based on a deep metabolic defect in the body’s ability to secrete insulin.
Currently, there is no standard treatment for type 5. diabetes. According to specialists, patient diet should include more proteins and fewer carbohydrates, in parallel with correction of micronutrient deficiencies.
“Everything must be researched carefully, now that we have official recognition and international support”, said Dr. Hawkins.
