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A newly recognised form of diabetes is changing how scientists understand the disease, especially in countries like India.
In 2025, global health experts formally acknowledged Type 5 diabetes as a distinct condition — a move that ended decades of confusion around a form of diabetes that does not fit neatly into existing categories.
The recognition, backed by the International Diabetes Federation and recent research published in The Lancet Global Health, is expected to reshape diagnosis and care for millions worldwide.
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But what exactly is Type 5 diabetes, and how is it different from the ones we see commonly?
LINKS TO UNDERNUTRITION
Unlike Type 1 diabetes, which is caused by the immune system attacking insulin-producing cells, or Type 2 diabetes, which is usually linked to obesity and lifestyle factors, Type 5 diabetes has a very different origin.
This form is associated with severe undernutrition during childhood or adolescence, a period when the pancreas is still developing.
Poor nutrition at this stage can permanently limit the pancreas’s ability to produce enough insulin later in life.
As a result, people develop high blood sugar levels even though they are often lean and do not show typical signs of Type 2 diabetes.
For years, such patients were misclassified, often labelled as Type 1 or an unusual form of Type 2, leading to inappropriate treatment.
SCIENTISTS DEMAND RECOGNITION
Researchers have studied this condition for decades, particularly in Asia and Africa. But without official recognition, it remained poorly understood and rarely diagnosed correctly.
Scientists have argued in the past that lumping these patients into existing categories masked the true cause of their illness. The 2025 classification formally separates Type 5 diabetes, making it easier to study and manage.
In India, the diabetes crisis is already taking place at a large scale, with tens of millions living with the disease, many of them undiagnosed.
Type 5 diabetes is particularly relevant in India because undernutrition remains widespread, even as obesity-related diabetes rises.
This creates a double burden. People who develop diabetes not due to excess calories, but because of too few during childhood.
There is no immediate new treatment for Type 5 diabetes, but recognition itself is a major step.
Doctors can now be more cautious when treating lean patients with a history of poor nutrition, avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches.
Experts say clearer diagnosis could eventually lead to better guidelines, fewer complications, and more targeted care — something India urgently needs as diabetes numbers continue to climb.
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