A Distinct New Type of Diabetes Is Now Officially Recognized
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) officially recognized a fifth form of diabetes in 2025, after decades of controversy.
It’s now urging other health authorities, like the World Health Organization (WHO), to follow suit.
Type 5 diabetes is rarely discussed or researched, and yet it is thought to impact up to 25 million people worldwide, especially those in low- and middle-income nations where access to medical care is limited.
It was first described in 1955 in Jamaica, then forgotten about for many years. Even once it was acknowledged by the WHO in the 1980s, the diagnosis created controversy.
For going on seven decades, scientists have debated whether type 5 diabetes exists at all, and in 1999, WHO withdrew the classification due to a lack of evidence. There has been little agreement on how to diagnose type 5 diabetes or how to treat it.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that destroys the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is an insensitivity to insulin due to diet and lifestyle. Type 3c diabetes is commonly caused by damage to the pancreas. Gestational diabetes is triggered by hormonal changes during pregnancy.
Type 5 diabetes seems to stem from nutrient deficiency. Previously known as malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus (MRDM), this form of diabetes is commonly misdiagnosed as other types.
And yet, because insulin resistance does not seem to be the primary cause of type 5 diabetes, existing treatments may not help. In fact, they may even harm
“Understanding the specific types of diabetes someone has is crucial to providing the right treatment,” Craig Beall, a diabetes researcher at the University of Exeter, explained in May 2025.
For years now, Meredith Hawkins, an endocrinologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Global Diabetes Institute, has called for global recognition of type 5 diabetes, which typically impacts people in Asia and Africa who are experiencing severe food insecurity.
“Malnutrition-related diabetes is more common than tuberculosis and nearly as common as HIV/ AIDS, but the lack of an official name has hindered efforts to diagnose patients or find effective therapies,” Hawkins said in 2025.
“I’m hopeful that this formal recognition as type 5 diabetes will lead to progress against this long-neglected disease that severely debilitates people and is often fatal.”
In recent years, numerous animal and human studies have shown that chronic nutrient deficiencies can have lifelong impacts on the pancreas, disrupting its ability to secrete insulin and balance blood sugar levels.
References
A Distinct New Type of Diabetes Is Now Officially Recognized, science alert, www.sciencealert.com/a-distinct-new-type-of-diabetes-is-now-officially-recognized
