18 Nov More Fast Food Outlets, More Diabetes?

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Patrice Carter
Diabetes, Nutrition & Lifestyle Research Associate
Diabetes Research Centre (Broadleaf) University of Leicester
Leicester General Hospital Leicester UK

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Carter: Type 2 diabetes is a growing concern, worldwide prevalence is expected to increase to 552million by 2030.  Prevalence is closely linked to increasing obesity rates which are associated to environmental changes that have led to more sedentary lifestyles and poor-quality dietary intake.  Consumption of fast food has previously been linked to the obesity epidemic and consumption is associated with low adherence to dietary recommendations.

We analysed data of over 10,000 individuals to investigate the association between screen detected type 2 diabetes and the number of fast food outlets in their neighbourhood.

In summary we found the mean number of fast food outlets in areas with high social deprivation as compared to low social deprivation; mean number  of outlets was 3.53 (SD 4.83) and 0.91 (1.89) respectively. The number of fast food outlets was positively associated with screen-detected type 2 diabetes (OR=1.05; 95% CI 1.04, 1.07; p<0.001).  In addition, we used these data to calculate that for every additional two outlets we would expect to see one more diabetes case, assuming a 7% prevalence of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes in neighbourhoods with no outlets and approximately 200 residents in a 500m radius, and assuming a causal relationship.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Carter: This study shows how University of Leicester Inter-Departmental Collaboration is leading to world class research. The geographical analysis of  the type 2 diabetes screening data and the locations of fast food  outlets generated a more informative analysis than previous studies and has had an enormous national and international interest.

The results have important public health implications for the prevention of diabetes and for those granting permission for new fast food establishments.

Clinicians should be aware of the observed association between fast food, obesity and type 2 diabetes, understanding that fast food is high in total fat, trans-fatty acids, salt and can provide over 1000kcal in one meal.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Carter: Future research is needed to establish a causal relationship between the number of fast food outlets and both obesity and type 2 diabetes.  In addition it is important to differentiate between types of fast food, and include convenience stores in the search.  Interventions exploring reducing the number of fast food outlets in a neighbourhood should also be explored.

Citation:

Is the number of fast-food outlets in the neighbourhood related to screen-detected type 2 diabetes mellitus and associated risk factors?

Bodicoat DH¹, Carter P¹, Comber A², Edwardson C¹, Gray LJ³, Hill S¹, Webb D¹, Yates T¹, Davies MJ¹, Khunti K¹.
Public Health Nutr. 2014 Oct 31:1-8. [Epub ahead of print]

Last Updated on November 18, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD